US Holiday Shoppers Rush Online to Complete Shopping

In an encouraging note for the diamond and jewelry industry, 17.5 percent said that they would buy jewelry as Christmas gifts

Fully half of American shoppers will complete the rest of their holiday shopping online – the largest percentage to do so, says the National Retail Federation (NRF) in the 11-year history of its annual holiday survey carried out by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the

According to the survey, 32 million shoppers had not even begun their holiday shopping as of December 9.

“It comes as no surprise that Americans are eager to shop online in the coming weeks as busy schedules and a shift in the calendar have made the convenience offered by retailers’ mobile apps and websites even more attractive this year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Furthermore, 46.6 percent of tablet owners aim to investigate products and compare prices using their devices in their buying decisions, and while more than one-third of smartphone owners will do likewise.

Meanwhile, 33 percent of tablet owners and more than 19 percent of smartphone owners will buy goods using their devices.