U.S. retailers are bracing for strong Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales outlook. A new report from Bain & Company, predicts sales will top $75 billion during the popular holiday shopping weekend, up more than 5 percent year over year, outpacing overall holiday sales growth. It’s expected that 8 percent of holiday sales will occur between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2024, the highest share since 2019. 

"Despite our slower growth forecasts for retailers this holiday season, Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend will likely be a bright spot, capturing its highest share of holiday spending in the last five years," said Aaron Cheris, a partner in Bain & Company's Retail practice. 

The firm is forecasting that retail momentum will continue to be strong throughout the weekends leading up to Christmas, with a peak shopping day on December 21, the Saturday before Christmas, and December 23, the Monday before Christmas. 

Experts at Bain & Company believed these late-in-season shopping surges are expected to give an additional push to retailers and will deliver strong results in overall holiday shopping numbers this season.

"This has to do partly with more stores closing on Thanksgiving Day as well as how the calendar falls this year, with a later-than-usual Thanksgiving,” Cheris said. “Black Friday is a prime opportunity for retailers to refine their promotion strategies, ensure adequate inventory and perfect in-store experiences. The retailers who are ready to meet consumer demand this season and prioritize this key holiday shopping window will come out ahead."

The company added that Cyber Monday has seen its relevance fade, falling out of the top sales days after 2019. Additionally, e-commerce growth has slowed, and many shoppers feel that they can conveniently shop online anytime, with deals extending beyond the core weekend.