An estimated 158.9 million consumers in the US intend to shop on Super Saturday 2025 - the final Saturday before Christmas - according to the latest annual survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The projected number of shoppers is slightly higher than the 157.2 million recorded in 2024 and exceeds the previous high of 158.5 million set in 2022.
Consumers are expected to spread their spending across multiple channels. Around 71.6 million people, or 45% of those surveyed, plan to shop both in physical stores and online, up from 69.5 million (44%) in 2024.
Among those opting for a single channel, 46.2 million respondents (29%) said they would shop only in-store, while 41.1 million (26%) plan to buy exclusively online.
Online retail remains the leading option for completing holiday purchases, cited by 46% of survey participants. Department stores were named by 33%, with discount stores mentioned by 26%.
The most frequently bought items up to mid-December are clothing and accessories (48%), toys (30%), gift cards (27%), books, music, films, video games and other media (25%), and personal care and beauty products (23%).
By early December, respondents reported having finished an average of 51% of their holiday shopping.
Among those who still had more than half of their purchases left to make, the main reasons given were uncertainty over what to buy (33%), competing financial priorities before December (25%), and waiting for friends or family to share gift ideas (23%).
Spending is expected to extend beyond Christmas Day. Around 70% of consumers said they plan to shop in the week immediately following 25 December. The leading motivations were “holiday sales and promotions” (45%) and redeeming gift cards (26%).
For its holiday outlook, the NRF defines the season as running from 1 November to 31 December.
The organisation projects that in 2025, holiday expenditure will exceed $1tn for the first time, with an anticipated increase of between 3.7% and 4.2% compared with 2024.
The survey was carried out between 1 and 10 December among 8,005 adult consumers.
NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights Katherine Cullen stated: “As the final Saturday before 25 December, Super Saturday is a significant shopping event for both consumers and retailers.
“This year’s event falls only five days before the Christmas holiday, and consumers will shop across retailers and channels in search of the final gifts on their lists and other holiday items they need to complete a memorable holiday season.”
