Fifty-seven percent of shoppers have already started buying holiday gifts, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported this week.
“Thanksgiving weekend shopping has evolved tremendously over the past few years and can no longer be seen as the ‘start’ of the holiday season,” said NRF President Matthew Shay. “There is a real sea change happening in retail when it comes to the how, when, where and why of holiday shopping.”
In addition to researching gifts online, 30 percent of consumers will look to catalogs for inspiration, according to NRF’s research.
Holiday shoppers are projected to spend as much as $105 billion in online purchases this year, driving major shipping increases.
The Postal Service expects to deliver 600 million packages during the holidays, up 10.5 percent from last year.