Despite the massive unemployment rate nationwide and the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, holiday retail sales overall are still expected to increase this winter, albeit between a modest 1% and 1.5%, according to Deloitte. Analysts are projecting sales of about $1.15 billion between November 2020 and January 2021.
But with limits on the number of customers allowed in stores to accommodate social distancing, many shoppers will be turning to e-commerce more than ever before. Deloitte forecasts that e-commerce sales will grow by 25% to 35%, year-over-year, during the 2020-2021 holiday season, a great leap from the 14.7% uptick in online holiday shopping from 2018 to 2019. E-commerce holiday sales are expected to generate between $182 million and $196 million this season.
