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Thanksgiving weekend brought in a record 202.9 million consumers during the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the annual consumer survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
“Thanksgiving weekend is an important time for families and friends to come together, and holiday shopping plays a key role in that shared experience,” says NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “This year’s record turnout reflects a highly engaged consumer who is focused on value, responds to compelling promotions and seizes upon the opportunity to make the winter holidays special and meaningful.”
The number of shoppers during the holiday weekend exceeded last year’s 197 million and NRF’s initial expectations of 186.9 million shoppers. Consumers shopped both in-store and online, with a total of 129.5 million consumers shopping in-store and 134.9 million shopping online.
While Black Friday saw a lower number of shoppers this year than last year, with 80.3 million shoppers in person and 85.7 million online, the day still remains the top shopping day of the weekend.
Saturday saw 62.7 million in-store consumers and 63 million online shoppers, both up from 2024. The Sunday after Thanksgiving drew in a record 32.6 million in-store shoppers, a 27% increase year over year, and 38.7 million online shoppers, up from 32.8 million last year.
Cyber Monday brought in 75.9 million online shoppers, up from 2024’s 64.4 million. This year, 46.9 million consumers shopped online via their mobile devices, up from last year.
“Consumers continue to take advantage of the extended holiday shopping weekend with online deals on Cyber Monday. While mobile devices now lead as the most popular way to shop online for Cyber Monday, laptops also remain popular,” says Prosper executive vice president of strategy Phil Rist. “Whether it’s new clothes or shoes, the season’s top toy, a new video game or a classic novel, shoppers are looking for that perfect gift for loved ones. They will continue to shop across the devices and destinations that best fit their needs throughout the busy holiday season.”
Supermarkets were the top shopping destinations during the five-day weekend (47%), followed by online (45%), department stores (40%), clothing stores (37%) and discount stores (30%).
Almost all shoppers (96%) made a holiday-related purchase over the weekend, spending $337.86 million on average on these items. On the NRF Thanksgiving Weekend Results media call, Shay emphasized the small difference in spending among higher and lower income households, as shoppers of all incomes tend to prioritize and save for holiday purchases. While 84% of consumers had already begun their holiday shopping as of Thanksgiving weekend, 53% of shoppers still have holiday shopping to complete.
