Skip to main content

Screen Wars Thought Leader Interviews are also available on

SpotifyApple PodcastGoogle Podcast
State of the Screens

Holiday spending bill: Most of us spend $1,000 or more on gifts, travel and goodies

By December 29, 2019No Comments

Wow: The average American will spend $1,050 this holiday season on gifts, decorations, and travel.

Breakdown of average holiday spend (% of total) according to the National Retail Federation:
1) 
Gifts – $660 (63%)
2) Cards/Decorations – $230 (22%)
3) Travel/Other – $160 (15%)

The average holiday spend per person by year:
1) 
2009 – $783
2) 
2010 – $831 ( 6%)
3) 2011 – $878 ( 6%)
4) 2012 – $893 ( 2%)
5) 2013 – $902 ( 1%)
6) 2014 – $929 ( 3%)
7) 2015 – $953 ( 3%)
8) 2016 – $936 ( 2%)
9) 2017 – $967 ( 3%)
10) 2018 – $1,007 ( 4%)
11) 2019P – $1,048 ( 4%)

Total holiday spend by year (YoY growth):
1) 2009 – $503B ( 0%)
2) 2010 – $529B ( 5%)
3) 2011 – $553B ( 5%)
4) 2012 – $568B ( 3%)
5) 2013 – $584B ( 3%)
6) 2014 – $614B ( 5%)
7) 2015 – $633B ( 3%)
8) 2016 – $653B ( 3%)
9) 2017 – $687B ( 5%)
10) 2018 – $701B ( 2%)
11) 2019P – $728B ( 4%)

Source of holiday spend (% of total):
1) In-store – $565.3B (78%)
2) Online – $162.6B (22%)
3) Total – $727.9B

The anticipated change in spending, according to Gallup:
1) Same – 65%
2) 
More – 18%
3) 
Less – 16%

Podcast: Will US Retailers Ring in the First Trillion-Dollar Holiday Season?

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.