It may be hard to believe. But many U.S. consumers have begun holiday shopping. And we are in October!! Let’s look at when some U.S. consumers start 2017 holiday shopping.
Here are some related shopping posts from past holiday periods. Shopping List: Part 1. Shopping List: Part 2. Do Retailers Offer What We Want During Holiday Shopping? Are YOU a Gift Splurger?
U.S. Consumers Start Holiday Shopping Earlier
Each year, U.S. consumers begin their holiday earlier and earlier. The main reasons? Pre-holiday discounts encourage shopping. Traditional Black Friday shopping is not as popular. Consumers can spread out their spending. And there are other reasons!!
Here are more insights from Peter Roesler, writing for Inc.:
“Tradition says the holiday shopping season starts after Thanksgiving. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This may be true for most U.S. consumers. Yet, more people now start shopping earlier. As much as people complain about seeing Christmas items on shelves too soon, data suggest there many shoppers do look for gifts before the ‘official start’ of the holiday season.”
“According to a RetailMeNot study, nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. consumers say they will start shopping before November 1. In fact, many have already started. A quarter (25 percent) of respondents said they planned to start before October. And 12 percent started holiday shopping this summer!!!!
“In the RetailMeNot survey, nearly three of five (59 percent) women said they planned to begin holiday shopping before Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. This compares with less than half (48 percent) of men. Deals are important because consumers need to make the most of limited budgets. When asked how they would financially prepare, 47 percent of shoppers surveyed said they would like to save money in advance. 15 percent said they would work overtime ahead of the holidays. It’s easy to see why consumers would value anything that saves them money on gifts.”
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Top Shopper Priorities for Holiday Season 2017
Due to improvements in the economy, early forecasts point to a good 2017 holiday shopping season. Nonetheless, retailers still must be prepared for these question. What are shopper priorities?
Consider these comments by Stephanie Pandolph, for Business Intelligence. Also, look at the chart below.
“In a survey of 8,000 consumers by Trustpilot, 62% of respondents listed price as the most important consideration for holiday shopping. Other top factors include customer service, shipping, and product availability. Retailers will need to have plenty of promotions to fully reap the benefits of this high-volume time. Price-conscious consumers are apt to wade through a large pool of seasonal deals.”
“A survey by CPC Strategy sheds some light on how consumers factor in price when deciding where to shop this season. Nearly half said total price at checkout, including shipping, will be the most important factor when choosing retailer this holiday season. Customers also plan to price check while shopping in-store, with 32% saying they will research on Amazon and 23% turning to Google.”
