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27 December 2024
#Digital News

Holiday shopping statistics 2024: Key Insights for Retailers

Black Friday and the 2024 holiday season showed mixed results. On one hand, there was a decline in mobile app downloads, while on the other, there was a significant increase in daily active users among leading advertisers.

The mobile segment continued to lead, as mobile devices accounted for 69% of global sales.

More details on the results of Holiday shopping and Black Friday 2024 below.

Early Holiday Sales Decreased Black Friday Activity

In 2024, Black Friday activity decreased due to the growing popularity of early promotions before the main holiday season. Many retailers began their campaigns in October and early November to compensate for the shortened holiday season, which was the shortest in the last five years.

Despite the overall increase in digital revenue, this trend affected mobile app downloads in US retail.

According to Sensor Tower, downloads during key “Black Friday weekend” days in the US decreased by:

  • Thanksgiving Day: -30%
  • Black Friday: -30%
  • Cyber Monday: -12%

Additionally, web traffic in the first week of November 2024 dropped by 5%, contradicting the growth trends of previous years. As noted by Queue-it, consumers realized that early deals are often maintained or even improved later in the season.

Holiday Season web traffic YoY by date: Traffic grows 11.7% in 2024

Daily Shopper Activity Increased

According to Sensor Tower, Black Friday 2024 saw a significant increase in DAU (Daily Active Users) among leading advertisers:

  • 30% in apps
  • 50% on mobile websites
  • 65% on desktops

This growth was accompanied by higher conversion rates, particularly for retailers running active campaigns.

DoD Percentage Increase in DAUs for Black Friday Retailer Cohort by Medium (Black Friday 2023 vs Black Friday 2024)

Mobile devices, as expected, remained the primary shopping channel. On Black Friday, they accounted for 69% of global sales.

Electronics Remain the Most Popular Traffic Category

In Black Friday 2024, electronics retailers once again captured the largest share of holiday season web traffic, accounting for 60% of total traffic, up from 53% in 2023.

Health and beauty stores surpassed clothing and accessories retailers in traffic volume, claiming the second spot in popularity.

Here’s the traffic breakdown by category:

  • Electronics: 60% (1.4 billion web visits)
  • Health & beauty: 13% (285 million web visits)
  • Apparel & accessories: 12% (273 million web visits)
  • Food & drug: 8% (177 million web visits)
  • Home & appliances: 3% (72 million web visits)
  • Toys & hobbies: 2% (47 million web visits)
  • Jewelry: 1% (15 million web visits)
  • Other (including sporting goods, department stores, hardware, and more): 1% (28 million web visits)
Share of total 2024 Holiday Season traffic by industry

These trends align with Criteo’s predictions, which highlighted growing consumer interest in new electronics brands and their willingness to spend.

We covered these insights before the season began.

Mobile Traffic Dominates Holiday Season 2024

In 2024, mobile traffic continued to grow during Cyber Five:

  • Mobile devices: 64%
  • Desktops: 26%
  • Unknown sources: 9%
  • Tablets: 1%
Traffic by device type full 2024 Holiday Season

For the entire holiday season (November 1–December 19), mobile accounted for 59% of all traffic. The highest mobile traffic was recorded on December 6, reaching 79% of activity.

Cyber Five traffic by device type
2022-2024: Mobile continues its growth

Both Discounted and Full-Priced Items Drawn Shoppers

During Black Friday, shoppers were actively buying both discounted and full-price items.

Discounts varied by category:

  • Apparel and accessories offered the highest discounts, up to 23%.
  • Electronics, such as TVs and laptops, saw smaller discounts, averaging around 11%.

Despite higher sales for discounted items (e.g., TVs with an 11% discount sold 693% more than earlier in November), non-discounted products also performed well, with sales of full-price TVs up by 463%.

This demonstrates that Black Friday drives consumer spending beyond just discounts.

Black Friday 2024, Avg. Sales Increase, Discounted vs. Non-Discounted

Holiday Season in Europe: More Transactions, Less Spending

In Europe, online transactions during Black Friday and the holiday season increased by 10% compared to 2023.

However, despite the rise in purchases, consumer spending decreased by 4%, indicating a shift toward more affordable products. This trend was observed consistently across Germany, the UK, France, and across 28 European countries.

Despite the decline in spending, all product categories showed triple-digit growth, although the increase was less significant compared to the previous year.

3 Tips for Retailers in 2025 Based on 2024 Data

  1. Prioritize Mobile-First
    In 2024, two-thirds of shoppers in Cyber Five used mobile devices. Ensure your mobile shopping experience is seamless by speeding up page load times and simplifying the checkout process.
  2. Maintain the Optimal Length for the Holiday Season
    Launch your campaigns early, but avoid stretching sales over too long a period. This creates a sense of exclusivity and reduces system load during peak times.
  3. Leverage Display Advertising
    Incorporate both performance marketing and display ads to build interest. Start with brand awareness, then run targeted promotions, intensifying campaigns ahead of peak days.

Mobile advertising is the perfect way to engage users without overwhelming them with information. We’ve been perfecting in-app advertising for over 9 years, proving its effectiveness in real-world campaigns.

case studies 2024 BYYD

Check out our case studies on the website and contact us to launch your successful campaign.

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