Another holiday shopping season is behind us, and holiday statistics show consumers were willing to buy during the 2024 holiday shopping season, although they demanded value for their dollar. Early estimates put sales increasing by 3.8 percent between November 1 and Christmas Eve 2024. As expected, the highest spending occurred on Black Friday, November 29, and Cyber Monday, December 2. However, 10 percent of the total spending took place from December 20 through 24.
For ISVs and VARs, a more interesting part of the story is how people interacted with retailers and how they made payments. These behaviors and habits provide insight into what to expect throughout the coming year, which is information you can share with your clients to help them make the most of 2025. Holiday shopping statistics and trends that retailers need to know include:
- More Consumers Are Shopping on Their Phones
Mobile spend reached $131.5 billion, representing more than half of all spending this holiday season. Consumers have demonstrated a definite preference for shopping on their phones, whether they’re at home, on the go, or even in a competitor’s store.
ISVs and VARs should encourage retailers to find ways to capitalize on this tendency. You’re your clients to ensure mobile shopping experiences are consumer-friendly and designed to make the jump from browser to buyer easy. Because shoppers usually have their smartphones in their hands, retailers can use QR codes can direct shoppers to in-demand products and help them order if items are out of stock. Remind retailers that an omnichannel payment solution is necessary to securely accept customers’ preferred payment methods when shopping on mobile devices.
- Ecommerce and Multi-Channel Shopping Remain Strong
According to the Adobe 2024 Holiday Shopping Trends report, online sales were strong, reaching $241.4 billion, up from 222.1 billion in 2023. During Cyber Week, a critical period for retailers to clinch sales, 197 million U.S. shoppers made a purchase. Interestingly, more people shopped in-store during this period than in 2023. However, buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) stayed on trend, spiking right before Christmas, basically because there wasn’t time to ship.
ISVs and VARs need to ensure retailers have systems in place that allow them to optimize customer experiences when they shop online but also when they arrive to pick up BOPIS orders. Also, provide retailers with solutions that make it easy for customers to add items to their purchases when they get to the store. An omnichannel payment solution gives sales associates visibility into payments on any channel, allowing them to provide convenient, personalized service.
- AI Is Influencing Sales
Salesforce estimates that AI influenced 19 percent, or $229 billion, worth of global online holiday shopping. This indicates that AI has value for engaging consumers and effectively enhancing customer experience with features like personalized order support and product recommendations.
In 2025, help retailers explore how AI can help them engage, grow average sales, build loyalty, and get ready for another great holiday season in 11 months.
- Retailers Need an Efficient Way to Handle Returns
The rate of merchandise returns rose 28 percent over last year, a holiday statistic presenting a possible cause for concern heading into 2025. As of Jan 6, returns already amounted to $122 billion of global sales.
While retailers need to address how to hold onto those revenues with exchanges or credits, ISVs and VARs can develop solutions that make returns processes easier for consumers and retailers. AI offers advantages, allowing retailers to more easily re-engage shoppers. Salesforce reports that 75 percent of consumers are interested in using AI for exchanges and returns.
Payments Are Key to Exceptional Holiday Shopping and Great CX All Year Long
Payments integration is essential as you design total solutions for retailers. Equipping your clients with a payments solution that allows them to accept payments anywhere — online, in-store, unattended, and even with text-to-pay or payment links — will position them to meet customer expectations, help them build loyalty, and stay competitive.
To learn more about a payment solution with the features and capabilities retailers need to meet demands during the holiday shopping season and throughout the year, contact us.