Consumer Behavior

2021 holiday online spend was record-setting

Photo by istock.com

January 18, 2022

Consumers spent $204.5 billion online during the 2021 holiday season — a spike of 8.6% compared to the year prior, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index which analyzes online consumer transactions.

Online shopping was not deterred by supply chain challenges, according to a press release on the report's findings.

Another startling statistic is that consumers saw over 6 billion "out-of-stock" messages, reflecting a 253% jump over the 2019 holiday season, prior to the pandemic arrival in early 2020.

"This holiday shopping season was the first time where big promotional moments like Cyber Monday and Black Friday took on less of the spotlight," Taylor Schreiner, senior director, Adobe Digital Insights, said in the release. "Like we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce has become a ubiquitous daily activity and a flexible way for shoppers to navigate product availability and higher prices."

The "buy now pay later" payment option saw double-digit growth. For retailers offering curbside/in-store pickup, the fulfillment option was used in 23% of all online orders this season. Over the holiday season, 43% of online sales came via smartphones, coming in at $88 billion overall — a modest increase from 2020 (at 40%) as consumers still rely on desktop and laptop computers as the primary way to shop online, according to the release.