Record Number of US Holiday Shoppers to Complete Buying Online

(IDEX Online News) – Half of US shoppers say they plan to do the remainder of their holiday shopping online. The figure is the highest in the 11-year history of the annual holiday survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The survey found that 32 million holiday shoppers had not even started shopping as of December 9.

“It comes as no surprise that Americans are eager to shop online in the coming weeks as busy schedules and a shift in the calendar have made the convenience offered by retailers’ mobile apps and websites even more attractive this year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Among those surveyed, 17.5 percent said that they would be buying jewelry as Christmas gifts.

The survey also reveals that 10 percent of shoppers will wait until Christmas Eve before buying Christmas gifts.

In addition, 46.6 percent of tablet owners will research products and compare prices to aid in their purchase decisions, and 36.3 percent of smartphone owners will do the same. Meanwhile, one-third of tablet owners and almost 20 percent of smartphone owners will purchase items via their devices.