Adobe forecasts $189 billion U.S. online sales this holiday season

Adobe today released its online shopping predictions for the 2020 holiday season (Nov. 1 – Dec. 31). Based on Adobe Analytics data, Adobe analyzed over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites and 100 million SKUs from 80 of the 100 largest U.S. retailers – more than any other technology company.

Adobe predicts that U.S. online holiday sales will total $189 billion, shattering all previous records with a 33% YoY increase, equal to two years’ growth in one season. If consumers receive another round of stimulus checks and physical stores need to shut down in large parts of the country, consumers are expected to spend an additional $11 billion online, surpassing a total of $200 billion (47% YoY increase).

Instead of Cyber Week (Thanksgiving Day – Cyber Monday), Adobe expects November and December to turn into Cyber Months this year:

“As retailers adapt to consumers’ new behaviors in this pandemic, we expect earlier discounts, more shipping and pick-up options and uncertainty around in-store purchases to drive this year’s online holiday sales to record highs,” said John Copeland, head of Marketing and Customer Insights at Adobe. “This year is unlike any in the past, and for the first time we are no longer referring to peak holiday sales as Cyber Week - it’s now Cyber Month.”

<u>Additional predictions:</u>

Methodology

Adobe leverages Adobe Sensei, Adobe’s AI and machine learning framework, to identify retail insights from trillions of data points that flow through Adobe Analytics and Adobe Commerce Cloud, both part of Adobe Experience Cloud. Adobe Analytics analyzes one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 80 of the 100 largest retailers in the U.S. – more than any other technology company.

Only Adobe’s analysis spans large, medium and small retailers across over 50 merchandise categories, powered by Adobe Analytics and Adobe Commerce Cloud, part of Adobe Experience Cloud, to provide the industry’s most accurate view of online shopping in the U.S. Companion research is based on a survey of over 1,000 U.S. consumers in October 2020.

Helpful links

Adobe’s 2020 Holiday Shopping Predictions full report

Read this article for additional insight around this year’s predictions