News

Holiday shopping survey reveals Thanksgiving, Black Friday plans

November 14, 2013

Global consultancy Accenture has released the results of its 2013 Holiday Shopping Survey, which polls U.S. consumers on their plans for the upcoming weeks. Among the findings of the survey:

• more than one-third (38 percent) of shoppers said they are likely to shop on Thanksgiving Day this year, a day that until recently has not been part of the seasonal holiday shopping rush;
• of those shoppers planning to hit the stores on Thanksgiving, 41 percent said they will be out shopping between 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and 5 a.m. the next day — Black Friday — the more traditional start of the holiday shopping season;
• more than a third of Thanksgiving Day shoppers — 38 percent — expect to visit four or more stores;
• younger shoppers are the most likely to shop on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday this year: More than half (55 percent) of 18–24-year-olds and 61 percent of 25–34-year-olds said that they are likely to shop on Thanksgiving Day, compared to just 31 percent of 45–59-year-olds; and 80 percent of 18–24-year-olds and 70 percent of 25–34-year-olds plan to shop on Black Friday, compared to 51 percent of 45–59-year-olds.
• women are more likely than men to be shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday — 42 percent of women expect to shop on Thanksgiving Day, compared to 31 percent of men and 58 percent of women expect to shop on Black Friday, compared to 49 percent of men;
• the lure of Black Friday as a major shopping event is at its highest level in five years — 55 percent of consumers surveyed say they are likely to shop on the day after Thanksgiving, compared to 53 percent in 2012, 44 percent in 2011, 47 percent in 2010 and 52 percent in 2009;
• although Millennials are often perceived to be predominantly online shoppers, 58 percent of the 18–24-year-old respondents who said they would be shopping on Thanksgiving Day expect to make most of their purchases in a physical store, while most of the 45–59-year-olds who plan to shop on Thanksgiving, said they expect to make most of their holiday purchases online;
• overall, more shoppers this year (30 percent) said they will do most of their Black Friday shopping online, compared to 25 percent in 2012; and
• for Thanksgiving Day shopping, 28 percent of consumers plan to do most of their shopping at a store, compared to 26 percent who plan to do most of their shopping online.

Read more about consumer behavior.