In the 2022 holiday season, U.S. consumers spent over $47 billion in retail (excluding auto, grocery, and restaurants) in the two weeks after December 25, according to a Mastercard credit card analysis conducted by BCG.

45% of consumers say they enjoy shopping during the time after Christmas.

Shoppers were shopping for themselves during 50% of occasions from December 26, 2023 to January 3, 2024. They wanted to take advantage of sales and discounts (28%), wanted to buy themselves a treat (27%), and needed it or needed a replacement (26%).

Shoppers use more digital resources to make purchases after the height of the holiday season, with the average number of digital resources used increasing post-holiday. This includes Google properties like Search, Maps, and YouTube whose already high usage increases significantly after December 25.

In January 2023, we observed a 50% surge in search interest regarding loyalty programs, including searches for terms like “reward program” and “loyalty points,” compared to December 2022.

As of December 6, 2023, 94% of U.S. holiday shoppers said they still have gifts to buy and 57% still have decisions to make.