The five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday saw fewer shoppers than a year ago, a major retail-industry group said Tuesday, due in part to the later timing of the holiday this year and an avalanche of deals through October.

(Reuters) - About 197 million Americans shopped over the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday this year, data from the National Retail Federation showed on Tuesday. The number of shoppers exceeded the retail body's prior expectations of 183.4 million, but was still lower than the 200 million shoppers in 2023.

The initial numbers from the five-day Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday holiday sales weekend signal a positive start to retailers' most crucial sales perior of the year.

The number of holiday shoppers this year for the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday was down slightly from a year ago but remains the second-highest figure on record and surpassed expectations from the National Retail Federation (“NRF”).