As the Christmas shopping season enters its final phase Friday, for the first time, a majority of Americans, 53 percent, have said they were very or somewhat likely to do their Christmas shopping online this year. This is the highest percentage since Gallup first asked the question in 1998. Meanwhile, the percentages of Americans shopping for gifts in department stores and discount stores have slowly been declining, but these still beat the internet as places Americans will shop for the holidays.

According to the Gallup poll, the largest change in Christmas shopping behavior over the past 17 years has been an increase in the percentage of Americans who intended to do their holiday shopping online. In 1999, 10 percent said they were likely to shop online for Christmas.

The percentages of Americans shopping for gifts in department stores and discount stores have also slowly been declining, data showed.