Shopping online for the holidays? Expect some empty virtual shelves

Americans are seeing a growing number of empty virtual shelves, even as online shopping is forecast to smash records this holiday season, a new analysis shows.

As consumers engage in ecommerce, notices that a particular product is out of stock are up 172% over January 2020 and 300% from the previous year, according to software maker Adobe, which tracks digital purchases. Apparel, sporting goods, baby products and electronics top the list of items in low supply online, the company found.

"As consumer demand and shipping networks get into the holidays, this problem is only going to get worse," the report predicts.