The move to do holiday shopping online has increased most years since the dawn of broadband. This year, it is the preferred means of buying goods and services for the season. Brick-and-mortar retailers have more and more to worry about as consumers turn to the Internet.

No matter what type of retailer, holiday spending will be relatively bright, according to authors of a new study called the Deloitte 2014 Annual Holiday Survey:

The bets are in, and the consensus for this year’s holiday season is that US holiday spending will be up from last year. Deloitte’s annual holiday forecast suggests sales will increase 4–4.5 percent, and the 29th annual Deloitte holiday shopping survey confirms this optimistic outlook.

This potential sales increase could be the boon that retailers have been waiting for, or it could turn into a missed opportunity. Consumers continue to change their shopping habits as well as their expectations of retailers. Shifting spending plans, shopping processes, and expectations are largely the result of improving perceptions of the economy, an onslaught of digital technology influencing consumers, more choices from a growing pool of online competitors, and fears of security breaches.

The hacking of customer records at large retailers will not be entirely forgotten.

ALSO READ: The 20 Most Profitable Companies in the World

Online spending continues to have its day, or seasons as it may be. However, traditional retailers will not be entirely besieged:

Although 45 percent of our surveyed consumers say they plan to shop on the Internet this holiday season, this does not necessarily mean that they prefer the online shopping experience to the in-store one. In fact, when we presented consumers with 17 retail venue categories and asked them whether they preferred the online or in-store shopping experience in each category, the in-store shopping experience came out ahead of the online experience in all 17 categories. Supermarkets, restaurants, drug stores, and home improvement stores were the venues for which the highest proportion of respondents indicated a preference for in-store shopping . The upshot: The brick-and-mortar store remains vital to the holiday shopping experience, and retailers should provide consumers with an engaging in-store experience that compels consumers to come visit these stores.

While not entirely unsettling for traditional retailers, an increase in e-commerce continues to be the enemy — and one that rises in power each year.

ALSO READ: Retailers Hiring the Most Employees for the Holidays

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.