TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)- As the Thanksgiving leftovers begin to fill the refrigerator, focus is shifting to a weekend of holiday shopping.

According to the Florida Retail Federation, shoppers will spend nearly 4 percent more in their shopping this year, with an average of $1,047.83 on gifts between Nov. 1 and the end of December.

In Florida, retailers see 20 percent of their annual sales in November and December.

Most purchases, the FRF says, will be on gifts, spending an average of $658.55. An average $227.26 will be spent on holiday items such as candy and decorations and an average of $162.02 on non-gift purchases.

Online shopping on Thanksgiving Day, in particular, is growing at an extraordinary rate.

The Florida Retail Federation says more than 19.5 more people will shop online this year than last year, and online spending on Thanksgiving will reach an $4.4 billion.

According to a survey from marketing intelligence firm MiQ’s 2019 Holiday Shopping report, more than half of shoppers across the country— 58 percent — say they plan to shop on Thanksgiving, up 13 percent from last year.

Over the five-day holiday weekend, the National Retail Federation estimated that 39.6 million consumers are considering shopping on Thanksgiving Day, 114.6 million on Black Friday, 66.6 million on Small Business Saturday and 33.3 million on Sunday. 

NRF’s annual forecast estimates that holiday retail sales in November and December will be up between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent over 2018 for a total of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion.

“The tradition of Thanksgiving weekend holiday shopping has become a five-day event with consumers spending money in stores, supporting local small businesses, and online with their mobile devices and computers,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Even as people are starting to purchase gifts earlier in the season, consumers still enjoy finding good Thanksgiving deals and passing time shopping with family and friends over the long holiday weekend.”

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