Super Saturday could attract more shoppers than Thanksgiving weekend

The biggest shopping day of the year is approaching, and shoppers are ready — almost 156 million, to be exact.



On Saturday, Dec. 17, 66% of Americans – an estimated 155.7 million people –plan to or are considering taking advantage of Super Saturday sales to complete their holiday gift list, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The survey, which asked 6,890 consumers about their holiday shopping plans, was conducted Dec. 1 - 7.



More people said they planned to shop on Super Saturday than those who said they planned to shop over Thanksgiving Weekend, an earlier survey revealed.



“While many consumers got a head start with holiday shopping by taking advantage of extraordinary sales over Thanksgiving weekend, more shopping and great deals are yet to come,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “We expect retailers will once again be competitive on price and value options in the final stretch, especially on Super Saturday.”



Shopper excitement is understandable when only one in 10 consumers — equivalent to 24 million people — have finished their holiday shopping. That means 90% of holiday shoppers are still in need of gifts, food, décor and/or other holiday items before the big day arrives. The average holiday shopper has completed 52.5% of their shopping, down from last year’s 53.5%, the study said.



Last-minute shoppers are planning to purchase their gifts online (52%), at department stores (42%), discount stores (27%), clothing or accessories stores (21%), electronics stores (18%), local/small business (14%) and grocery/supermarket stores (13%).



And they are always in search of a good deal — even on gift cards. Specifically, 41% of consumers receiving gift cards this holiday season will watch for a really good sale or promotion to maximize the value of the gift card. Once they receive that gift, 22% will use their card as quickly as possible, up from 20% last year. Another 19% of consumers said they will save their gift card for a rainy day or sometime when they feel they need to treat themselves, the report said.