CLEVELAND — Unwrapping gifts on Christmas Eve is a life-long tradition for Colleen Tincher and her family.

What You Need To Know

  • Holiday shopping between early November and late December accounts for aproximately 12% of annual retail sales revenue for U.S. companies.

  • In recent years, an increasing number of Americans have switched to shopping online during the holiday season.

  • Generally, around 19% of shoppers are more likely to make purchases online rather than in person, according to a 2024 Capital One report.

“I usually have the family come for Christmas Eve, and there can be 36 to 40 people here,” Tincher said. “And I make sure everybody leaves with something.”

Tincher said for year she was among the large crowds scavenging for Black Friday deals.

“Back in the day, you couldn't wait for the Thanksgiving newspaper to find all the ads and the bargains and stores weren't open on Thanksgiving,” she said, “So first thing in the morning, sometimes 6:00 in the morning, you're in line at the store to get the best deals.”

But, that’s all changed in recent years. Each year Americans send more than $20 billion in Black Friday shopping, but an increasing number of people are skipping the long lines and browning the web. This year, researchers predicted nearly one-fifth of Black Friday shoppers are likely to make purchases online instead of in person.

“For me, it was COVID. Up until then, I was still going on Thanksgiving night and Friday morning, and when Covid hit and there were no stores, I had to find how to do it online safely,” Tincher said.

Michael Goldberg is a professor of design innovation at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He said big box stores are busting out Black Friday deals for longer periods of time.

“Some of us have been shopping as early as Halloween for the holiday season,” he said. “So while Black Friday started off as the day after Christmas, to get a start on the holiday shopping season, now it's been extended into much earlier periods as well.”

Still, Goldberg said he thinks retail shopping is here to stay.

“Interestingly, Black Friday, retail sales have continued to grow,” Goldberg said. “So last year it was up 9% over the previous year, and predictions for this upcoming Black Friday [are]we're going to see growth again.”

Shopping in person benefits consumers and all companies, big and small, he said.

“It's really important for those of us who want to see vibrant communities that people do shop in person and shop local, because just buying everything on Amazon means the death of lots of local retailers,” Goldberg said.

But, for Tincher and millions of other Americans, holiday shopping is taking place at home.

“It's so much nicer now to sit in a chair in your pajamas with your coffee and just scroll through online, pick what you want,” she said.