NEW YORK – The viral pandemic is accelerating a transformation of America's holiday shopping season. Few people showed up at the mall this weekend, with millions of pandemic-wary shoppers staying home to shop online.
The result? Overall holiday sales are projected to rise a slight 0.9% in November and December — and even that modest gain will be due to an explosion in online shopping, according to the research firm eMarketer.
It expects online sales to jump nearly 36%, while sales at physical stores fall 4.7%. The online rush was on fully display Monday, known as Cyber Monday, a day of sales promoted by retailers back in 2005.