探花精选

The holiday shopping season is the final test for many retailers.

Will they overstock their shelves, miss deliveries, or fail to lure consumers to their online or brick-and-mortar store? Or, will they come out on top with full cash registers and a sparkling reputation?

We're not all dreaming of dancing sugar plums and sparkling white snowflakes.

To help you get a handle on this year's retail race, we pulled together some surprising stats and forecasts for the holiday shopping season.

1) Thanksgiving will be most mobile shopping day of year — with 31% of online sales generated via smartphones and tablets. In 2013, mobile and tablet shopping accounted for 21% of sales. [ ]

2) Holiday sales are expected to increase by 20% in China, Russia, Brazil, and Thailand. [ ]

3) Black Friday will become fastest growing online sales day of year, accounting for $2.48 billion in sales, which is 28% year-over-year growth. [ ]

4) Thanksgiving Day will see $1.35 billion in sales, which is a 27% year-over-year growth. [ ]

5) Prices on Thanksgiving Day will be at their lowest point with an average 24% discount. [ ]

6) November and December are expected to drive more than 27% of total annual online sales. [ ]

7) The average U.S. consumer will spend $248 online; $8 on Cyber Monday. [ ]

8) Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the most popular days for online shopping. [ ]

9) Fridays and Saturdays are the top days overall for in-store holiday shopping. [ ]

10) December 21 and December 23 are the next two biggest shopping days after Black Friday. [ ]

11) Free shipping was deemed the second-most important factor for shoppers when purchasing online. [ ]

12) While foot traffic to retail locations has decreased, sales for those who shopped in-store increased. [ ]

13) 52% of online smartphone shoppers used their phones throughout the shopping process during the 2013 holidays. [ ]

14) In 2013, December sales on smartphones and tablets were up threefold from 2011 to 19.1%. [ ]

15) 75% of smartphone shoppers plan to use their phones in-store this holiday season. [ ]

16) In 2013, shoppers consulted at least 12 sources before purchasing. In 2010, they consulted five. [ ]

17) 26% of shoppers started holiday shopping research prior to Halloween. [ ]

18) 40% of annual sales are concentrated in the last two months of the year. [ ]

19) Mobile shopping before or during an in-store trip will influence between a quarter and a half of all sales. [ ]

20) In 2013, 33% of major retailer missed deliveries. [ ]

21) 46% of people will look elsewhere after a late delivery from a retailer. [ ]

22) 48% of shoppers were always or frequently influenced by online ratings and reviews. [ ]

23) 70 percent of brands are allocating more than half of their digital marketing budgets to search and social this holiday season. [ ]

24) 19% of marketers are using social to generate qualified leads this holiday season. [ ]

25) 62% of marketers primary goal for social is driving sales and extending brand reach. [ ]

26) U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $646 on gifts -- an increase of 11% from 2012. [ ]

27) 20% of people plan to increase their spending this holiday season. Of this, 21% will increase their budgets by more than $500, and 55% will increase their budgets by $100 to $499. [ ]

28) 52% of people plan to used funds they saved to buy presents. [ ]

29) 38% of people who will shop on Black Friday plan to visit four or more stores. [ ]

30) 58% of holiday spending will be on gift cards. [ ]

31) Cart completion rates increase by 10% when digital wallet payment options are available. [ ]

32) 55% of people find beacons useful for receiving promotions on their mobile devices while in a physical store. [ ]