Report: 189M U.S. Consumers Shopped on Super Saturday
Over 189 million people, or over 73 percent of U.S. consumers, shopped this past Saturday (also known as Super Saturday), according to a survey conducted by ICSC. The data show 71 percent of shoppers spent money on holiday gifts, while 40 percent spent on dining and 22 percent spent on entertainment. The top reason consumers shopped on Super Saturday was to take advantage of deals and promotions for lower prices (39 percent), followed by still having more people to buy gifts for (37 percent) and buying additional gifts for people (33 percent).
More highlights from the survey, obtained via email by Total Retail, include:
- 70 percent of consumers shopped in a physical store on Super Saturday, while 29 percent shopped at Amazon.com or other pure-play online retailers. Fifty percent of shoppers took advantage of buying online and picking up in-store.
- Shoppers identified the lowest prices (51 percent), in-stock products (46 percent), and ease of checkout (36 percent) as the primary factors in choosing where to shop.
- A majority (54 percent) of shoppers noted they spent more than they planned; 56 percent spent using debit cards, 47 percent used credit cards, and 46 percent used cash.
- Overall, 90 percent of shoppers said inflation impacted their shopping on Super Saturday.
The ICSC Super Saturday consumer survey was conducted Dec. 17, 2022, with a demographically representative U.S. sample of 1,012 respondents.
Total Retail's Take: Super Saturday — the Saturday before Christmas and one of the busiest shopping days of the year — landed on Dec. 17 this year and saw roughly three-quarters of consumers actively shopping for holiday gifts.
"While inflation and price concerns are still impacting where and how consumers buy gifts, they are still spending, particularly at physical stores," commented Tom McGee, president and CEO, ICSC. "We expect last-minute shopping to continue this week and anticipate a strong conclusion to the holiday season.”
Data from Placer.AI reveals that while most retailers saw visits down compared to both 2021 and a pre-pandemic 2019, foot traffic was up compared to the average of the past six Saturdays. Additional factors may have decreased consumers' sense of urgency to buy on Super Saturday, such as the extended holiday shopping season, the growing role of e-commerce, and a longer time frame between Super Saturday and Christmas this year.
Discount and dollar stores were perhaps Super Saturday’s winning retail segment, seeing visits up 1.1 percent year-over-year, and 7.8 percent compared to Super Saturday 2019. Off-price retailers like T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross Dress for Less also saw visits up compared to 2021. Ulta was Super Saturday’s winner, with visits up 7.4 percent YoY, and 2.7 percent compared to 2019, according to Placer.AI.
“Super Saturday, like Black Friday, still drove massive visit peaks for most chains and categories examined,” said Ethan Chernofsky, vice president of marketing at Placer.ai. “Like many other retail holidays, while the relative peak may have declined, the overall importance is still massive.”
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
