Executive Summary

The 2021 US holiday season posted the strongest retail growth in more than 20 years, bolstered by resurgent brick-and-mortar sales and healthy ecommerce growth. Our first look ahead to the 2022 holiday season forecasts healthy consumer spending patterns and a more stable supply chain.

How much did US consumers spend during the 2021 holiday season?

Total retail spending grew 16.1% year over year (YoY) to $1.221 trillion. Brick-and-mortar sales surged 17.3% to $1.017 trillion, while ecommerce rose 10.4% to $204.20 billion.

What were ecommerce sales on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday was the heaviest online spending day, climbing 1.1% to $10.90 billion. Black Friday sales inched up 0.3% to $9.03 billion, while Thanksgiving sales grew 2.3% to $5.17 billion.

Who were the retail winners and losers of the 2021 holiday season?

Amazon, Walmart, and eBay led the way on retail traffic, while Macy’s, Away, and Ticketmaster were among the year’s pandemic rebound stories. On the flipside, Wayfair and Kohl’s experienced notable declines in YoY traffic that also dropped them below 2019 levels.

What is the forecast for holiday sales in 2022?

We expect 2022 holiday retail sales to increase 3.3% to $1.262 trillion, with brick-and-mortar increasing 0.9% to $1.026 trillion and ecommerce climbing 15.5% to $235.86 billion.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? A review of the 2021 US holiday season and an early preview of the 2022 holidays, including our latest US retail and ecommerce spending forecast.

KEY STAT: The 2021 holiday season saw US retail sales grow by 16.1%, the fastest growth rate in more than 20 years.