In Adobe's Holiday Shopping Season Report for 2024, key shopping trends highlighted in the 2025 holiday shopping report include the significant rise in mobile shopping, which was crucial in driving the overall growth. The total online spending reached a record $241.4 billion, marking an 8.7% year-over-year (YoY) growth from the previous year's spending of $222.1 billion. This robust increase exceeded Adobe's initial forecast of $240.8 billion.
1. Consumer Behavior Patterns
During the holiday season from November 1 through December 31, notable consumer behavior patterns were observed. Despite higher prices due to inflation, U.S. consumers continued to increase their holiday spending. Retailers saw a spike in early shoppers, driven by concerns over potential shipping delays and stock shortages, prompting purchases as early as October. Conversely, last-minute shopping also remained prevalent with significant activity observed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Popular Product Categories
The report identified clothes, shoes, and accessories as the most popular product category among U.S. consumers, with 58% planning to purchase in this category. Following this, 43% of shoppers focused on consumer electronics, while toys and games came in third with 35%. Children's clothes, shoes, accessories (29%) and beauty and perfumes (26%) were among the top categories.
Specific Holiday Period Performance:
The days surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday were among the high points of the season, characterized by a surge in both online and in-store shopping as consumers hunted for major discounts. Post-Christmas sales remained strong, as retailers offered deep discounts on remaining holiday inventory.
Holiday Shopping Insights: Customers increasingly prioritize convenience when making online and mobile purchases. Retailers are advised to optimize their online presence and offer flexible payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services, which have grown in popularity, particularly among Generation Z.
The 2025 holiday shopping season demonstrated a solid growth trajectory in online spending with mobile shopping, early and last-minute buying trends, and targeted product categories shaping consumer behaviors and driving retail success.
