Holiday offers started some time ago, but the US holiday shopping season has now launched in earnest. The National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics estimate that the five-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday saw 197 million shoppers — the second-highest number since 2017. Adobe Analytics reports that US consumers spent $41.1 billion online during that time. We forecast that the season overall (November and December) will see $257 billion in US online sales.

In Forrester’s annual review of 116 US websites during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we saw that retailers and brands across sectors went all out to entice customers:

  • Black Friday offers ran the gamut from sitewide to members-only perks. Fully 91% of the 116 retail and brand websites mentioned “Black Friday” on their home page, with most offering discounts. One-third offered a sitewide discount, including Ann Taylor, J.Crew, OLAY, Petco, and The Vitamin Shoppe. Other offers included gift cards on eligible purchases (e.g., Apple), while one in 10 sites provided additional perks for loyalty members (e.g., Brooks Brothers and The North Face). Free shipping offers were often based on minimum order values and/or reserved for loyalty program members. REI continued its long-standing “Opt Outside” tradition as it gave its “15,000 employees the day off.”
  • Cyber Monday offers encouraged further spending. Similarly, 91% of the 116 retail and brand websites participated in Cyber Monday on their home page, and almost all of those had discounts and offers (yes, including REI). Across these sites, 35 offered a sitewide discount, including Estée Lauder, Gap, and Urban Outfitters. The Container Store offered online customers a sitewide 30% discount if they selected store pickup at checkout, which dropped to 25% off for orders that they had shipped. Some discounts were available only to members, including Academy Sports and Victoria’s Secret. Several retailers offered tiered discounts based on spend, including Bloomingdale’s and Disney, while others offered gifts with purchase, such as Aveda and Owlet.

What’s Next?

With three weeks to go before December 25, take a look at our 2024 holiday preparation blog series. This series features a treasure trove of advice from Forrester analysts to help you make the most of the coming weeks. You’ll learn how influencers are this year’s gift guides and how zero-party data gives you insights into your customers, plus smart tactics to protect your customers (and your brand) from phishing. And, further, learn how to bolster customer experience and sales by improving your website accessibility, site search, personalization, compelling creative, and customer confidence. If you’re a Forrester client, you can also schedule time with Forrester analysts via a guidance session or inquiry.