What: Increased spending is expected for this year's holiday, as consumers feel more confident about shopping outside their homes.

Why it’s important: Deloitte is anticipating a big holiday season for retailers this year thanks to the downturn of the pandemic : travelling, celebrating with family and treating ourselves is again possible.

Deloitte’s retail and distribution practice expects that holiday sales will total $1.28 trillion to $1.3 trillion between November and January. And e-commerce sales alone will likely reach between $210 billion and $218 billion this season.

Some other trends that will be prominent this holiday season will be purchasing food and beverage gifts as a way to reconnect with friends and family. As supply chains continue to be disrupted, consumers are aware that they will need to start their holiday shopping earlier to avoid delays.

Consumer behaviors such as buy online, pick up in-store, or BOPIS, and curbside pickup are also expected to continue to be strong this holiday shopping season, especially with concern for the Delta variant.

Deloitte Projects a Positive Holiday Season for Retailers