Holiday shoppers plan to buy more online than in stores, survey finds

This year for the first time, consumers say they’ll spend more shopping online than in physical stores. That’s according to an annual consumer holiday shopping survey by Deloitte. It’s one more data point documenting the march of e-commerce to capture ever more of America’s retail spending. Deloitte’s online survey of more than 5,000 Americans found consumers plan to spend 51 percent of their holiday dollars online this year. And, perhaps not coincidentally, that’s where retailers are investing money and doing the bulk of their seasonal hiring: in fulfillment centers to process online orders, and in shipping and handling. Consumers also plan to spend more money this year than last: the Deloitte survey found they expect to shell out an average $1,226 for the holidays, up from $998 last year. 

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