The 2024 holiday shopping season will probably feel a bit short this year with Thanksgiving landing on Nov. 28 and Cyber Monday pushed into December. However, stores are likely gearing up to offer early holiday promotions and possibly extending their hours to make the most of every shopping day.
Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast predicts an increase of 2.3% to 3.3% in sales, with total sales of up to $1.59 trillion. As the season of giving approaches, many shoppers are already mapping out their gift lists and planning to dive into their holiday shopping early. Expect deals ahead of Black Friday, especially as retailers anticipate a surge in online shopping, with e-commerce potentially growing by 7%-9% compared to last year.
With online shopping increasing, scams will also be prevalent. According to the BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, online shopping scams accounted for 41% of all fraud reports to BBB Scam Tracker in 2023. Product shortages could make purchase scams even more common as desperate shoppers might turn to shady websites hoping to find this year’s must-have gift.
Your BBB has top insider holiday shopping tips on how to stay away from scams and unlock holiday success:
Look for the BBB seal. Check out companies on BBB.org before you finalize a purchase. Look for BBB’s seal, signifying that the company is BBB accredited and has pledged to uphold BBB’s standards for trust and to deal fairly with customers. If a business displays a BBB seal, verify its validity on BBB.org.