Local shoppers say they prefer to buy some items in store, while data shows shift toward online shopping
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
With the holidays quickly approaching, millions of consumers prepared for Super Saturday—one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 157.2 million shoppers tackled last-minute holiday purchases this weekend.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau highlights a continued shift toward online shopping. E-commerce sales in the third quarter of 2024 rose by 7.4% compared to the same period in 2023. Retail sales saw a modest growth, increasing by 1.3% since the second quarter of this year.
Many consumers preferred the convenience of online shopping but still opted to buy certain items, such as clothing, in-store.
Addye Garrish, a shopper, says she prefers online shopping simply because of its convenience.
The National Retail Federation reports that 69.5 million shoppers (44%) planned to shop both in-store and online in 2024, an increase from 58.3 million (41%) in 2023. Around 49.4 million (31%) are expected to shop exclusively in-store, down from 52.8 million (37%) in 2023.
Meanwhile, 38.2 million (24%) planned to shop online only, up from 30.8 million (22%) in 2023.
For some local shoppers, in-person shopping remained essential for clothing purchases.
"The whole system of ordering clothes online and trying them on doesn't fit the way that I want," Jasmine Donjuan said. "The whole way I have to return it either...most of the time, I have to contact customer support to report it and I absolutely hate customer support so it's much more of a hassle to return it online than it is in person."
Clothing and accessories remained the most popular items purchased by holiday shoppers, according to the National Retail Federation.
The American Cancer Society had a booth at the Columbia mall offering gift-wrapping services. This year, volunteers said they found themselves wrapping many clothing items.
"This year, I'm seeing a lot of tennis shoes and clothes and socks. Those types of gifts over toys," Shari Margheim said.
Brandi Gales, owner of "Be Yourself Styles Boutique" said she's been seeing a better turnout in-store.
"The website sales have not been up as they were during COVID. Honestly, I have more in-store sales. The in-store business is better now. It really is. I know Columbia is a small town, but business is actually really good," Gales said.
The National Retail Federation projected retail sales for the fourth quarter of 2024 would increase by 2.5%, compared to 3.5% in 2023 with the holiday season concluding on December 31st.
