ICSC: 152 million consumers visited a shopping center over Thanksgiving weekend
Consumers gravitated towards brick-and-mortar stores – as well as shopping centers – during the post-Thanksgiving weekend.
The vast majority (77%) of U.S. adults, or 206 million people, shopped during the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, led by millennials (88%) and Gen Z (84%), according to new data from ICSC.
Brick-and-mortar stores played a key role in holiday shopping over the weekend, as 84% of consumers shopped in-store or for in-store pickup, an increase of six percentage points compared to 2024. 152 million people visited a shopping center during the long weekend for shopping, dining, services or entertainment, with nine-in-10 Gen Zers spending time at shopping centers.
Of the five-day period, Black Friday remained the most popular day to shop. ICSC’s survey respondents estimated that 38% of their total Thanksgiving weekend spending happened on Friday. However, this year, spending on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29) and the following Sunday (Nov. 30) outpaced spending on Cyber Monday.
Almost two-thirds (65%) of shoppers bought gifts for others over the long weekend. Nearly half (44%) of respondents reported spending at restaurants over the weekend, while 23% spent on entertainment and activities.
Food-and-beverage was the most popular category for 56% of consumers during the long weekend. Other popular categories included apparel (51%), toys and games (42%), and health and beauty (36%).
“Thanksgiving weekend is a cornerstone of holiday shopping and this year’s results show that shoppers are not only resilient but increasingly strategic in their shopping behaviors,” said Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC. “They continue to leverage technology to find value and efficiency while still prioritizing in-person experiences to make the season special. Retailers that can deliver on price, convenience and memorable engagement are positioned for success, not just during the holiday season but also into the new year.”
Additional insights from ICSC’s data include the following:
- A majority (61%) of holiday shoppers said Thanksgiving weekend remains as important for their holiday spending as it has in the past, even as retailers offer more promotions throughout the season.
- Despite robust spending over the five-day period, 65% said they still have significant holiday shopping left to do in the final stretch of the season.
- Nearly seven-in-10 (69%) said they took advantage of the weekend’s deals to buy items they had previously delayed purchasing because the price was too high.
- Nearly six-in-10 (59%) consumers felt that this year’s promotions were as good as they were in past years, broadly consistent with last year’s sentiment.
[READ MORE: NRF: Holiday weekend drew record shoppers; online and in-store up over last year]
The 2025 ICSC Post-Thanksgiving Weekend Survey encompasses two surveys conducted online on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, each with a demographically representative U.S. sample of 1,012.
