Deal-seeking shoppers spent $222.1 billion online this holiday season: Elevated discounts drove spending across the electronics, apparel, furniture, and toy categories.

US ecommerce sales will grow 9.3% to reach $1.137 trillion in 2023, per our forecast, thanks to cost-conscious consumers looking for better deals and an increasing number of digital grocery buyers. As 2023 wraps up, ecommerce will go out on a high note, with online holiday sales growth outpacing brick-and-mortar sales.

Shoppers spent a record $12.4 billion this Cyber Monday: The lure of heavy discounts convinced cost-conscious consumers to open their wallets.

Steep discounts drove record Black Friday online sales: Ecommerce sales surged on the day after Thanksgiving, while brick-and-mortar sales grew just 1.1% YoY.

Prime Big Deal Days exceeded Amazon’s expectations: While shoppers focused on cheaper essentials, the retailer showcased its supply chain capabilities.

Consumers look for deals, flexible payment options this holiday season: Over three-quarters of shoppers plan to hunt for discounts, while BNPL use is set to soar amid financial constraints.

US ecommerce back-to-school and holiday growth trends are usually pretty similar, but this year, growth will diverge. US ecommerce back-to-school and holiday spending growth were within 1 percentage point of each other in both 2020 and 2021, and closer to 4 percentage points apart in 2022, during a holiday season impacted by inflation, supply chain issues, and geopolitical concerns. This year, we forecast a US back-to-school ecommerce growth rate of 1.5%, slower than our forecast 11.3% holiday retail ecommerce growth.

Amazon seems poised to beat its lowered expectations: While the retail giant predicted its slowest-ever holiday season growth, analysts expect the retail giant’s Q4 sales still rose 6% YoY.

US retail sales grew 7.6% over the holiday season: Consumers diversified their spending due to inflation and a desire to return to pre-pandemic activities such as eating out.

In this visual report, we dive into major holiday shopping events in 5 Western European countries, as well as total sales and consumer behavior surrounding these events.

The retail landscape in Europe looks bleak: Retail sales in Europe fell at the highest rate since July 2021. That’s a sharp contrast to the US, where consumers keep spending.

A record number of US consumers shopped over the Cyber Five: 196.7 million US consumers shopped over the five-day period, which is 7.1 million more than the previous high.

Good deals drove consumers to spend big on Cyber Monday: US retail ecommerce sales may hit a record $11.3 billion—5.8% more than last year, per Adobe Analytics data.

A surprisingly strong start to the Cyber Five: Steep discounts drove record sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, as US consumers flocked to stores as well as ecommerce sites and apps over the holiday weekend.

Consumer sentiment is ticking up as inflation slows: While that’s good news for most retailers as the holidays near, rising interest rates could pose challenges.

A favorite choice of gift-givers this holiday season? New clothes. The apparel category had its biggest year-over-year performance since 2010.

US retail ecommerce sales for the holiday season thus far (Nov. 1 through Nov. 26) generated $58.5 billion, a 19.9% increase from last year, according to research from Adobe.

The UK holiday shopping season is on pace to hit two major milestones this year. The holiday season, which eMarketer defines as November and December, is the most important retail period in nearly all major European markets.

Fueled by low unemployment, strong income growth and high consumer confidence, the holiday shopping season this year will be a strong one for retailers in the US. In its holiday retail forecast, eMarketer has raised its projections from its Q3 2018 forecast, specifically for ecommerce sales and brick-and-mortar retailers.

A positive US macroeconomic backdrop points to strong growth across every retail channel, but retailers should pay attention to seven key trends that will determine their ultimate success for the 2018 holiday season.