US online spending for 2019 holiday season to reach record highs: What to know

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Which retailers will have a strong holiday season?

Former Toys R Us chairman and CEO Gerald Storch discusses how retailers will perform in the approaching holiday season and how New Jersey's American Dream mega mall should push experiential shopping.

U.S. online shopping is expected to hit record spending highs during the 2019 holiday season, with massive growth on major shopping days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday offsetting a shorter sales window for e-commerce retailers.

Online shoppers are projected to spend $143.7 billion in November and December, according to Adobe Analytics’ annual calculations. That sum would mark a 14 percent increase compared to last year's holiday shopping period, which generated $126 billion in sales.

The sales growth is expected despite a holiday shopping period that is six days shorter than last year, with just 22 days between Cyber Monday and Christmas. Adobe projects that e-commerce sales will exceed $1 billion for every day of November and December for the first time on record.

Major online shopping events featuring promotional deals, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, are once again tabbed for massive growth. Black Friday sales are expected to grow 20 percent to $7.5 billion, while Cyber Monday sales are projected to expand nearly 19 percent to $9.4 billion.

"Cyber Week," the five-day period that includes Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, will account for $29 billion in sales, or 20 percent of spending for the entire holiday period, according to Adobe.

Adobe Analytics forecasts online shopping by tracking transaction data from 80 of the top 100 U.S. retailers, including Amazon and Walmart. The projections are based on sales of 55 million individual products.

FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2017, file photo, a worker pushes bins at an Amazon fulfillment center in Baltimore. Amazon will spend more than $700 million to provide additional training to about one-third of its U.S. workforce. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky,

FOX Business breaks down key takeaways from Adobe's online holiday shopping report below.

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Online retail giants take the lead

Major e-commerce platforms will once again dominate the online shopping landscape this season. Online retail giants are defined by Adobe as those with $1 billion or more in annual sales – a field that includes Amazon, Walmart and Target.

Those retailers see a 65 percent boost in sales during the holiday shopping season, compared to just 35 percent for smaller outlets with $50 million or less in annual revenue. The e-commerce giants also tend to rely more heavily on advertising to attract shoppers to their platforms, while small outlets lean on word-of-mouth, SEO and other organic methods.

LOBBYING SPENDING BY TECH GIANTS SET TO HIT RECORD HIGHS

Smartphone transactions on the rise

Customers have responded as more retailers invest in intuitive, streamlined mobile versions of their online stores. Smartphone transactions will account for 36 percent of all online sales this holiday season, up 20 percent year-over-year, according to Adobe.

Baby products, toys and alcohol are popular items that shoppers order on their smartphones. For larger purchases requiring more research, such as furniture orders or tech gadgets, shoppers tend to use their desktops.

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Get to know 'BOPIS'

"BOPIS," or "Buy online, pick up in-store" has emerged as a popular way for consumers to get their holiday shopping done without dealing with crowded stores or long lines. Online shoppers can place their orders and pick up their shipments in minutes. Walmart is just one of several companies to build out pickup locations for online shoppers in their brick-and-mortar locations.

More than a third – 37 percent – of online shoppers plan to use "BOPIS' this season, according to Adobe. 

These toys will be hot items

For parents shopping for their children, Oweleez, Blume Dolls and Kindi Kids are among the items Adobe expects to fly off virtual shelves during the holiday season.

Gamers will be fixated on the Nintendo Switch Lite console and probably video game titles such as Activision-Blizzard's "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" and Electronic Arts' "Jedi Fallen Order," among others.