The world's largest retail trade association said that 179.8 million shoppers made purchases online and in stores over the holiday period from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday, compared to 186.4 million shoppers in 2020.
In an effort to minimize the damage to their profits from supply chain bottlenecks, companies have been pushing consumers to shop for the holidays from as early as October.
Over the last few years, consumers have shifted their holiday shopping plans to start earlier in the season, according to Matthew Shay, NRF CEO.
The data from Adobe Analytics showed that online spending on Cyber Monday fell 1.4% from last year, recording a fall for the first time ever.
The NRF's survey, conducted by research firm Prosper Insights Analytics, showed shoppers spent an average of $301.27 on holiday purchases, such as gifts, toys and apparel, down from $311.75 last year.