57% of holiday shoppers have already begun

Photo from merchandisingmatters.com

By Laura Heller

Anyone looking for more proof that holiday shopping begins earlier has some new statistics to cite: 56.6 percent of those celebrating the holidays had begun shopping by early November, up from 54.4 percent last year and up further from the 49 percent who had started by this time in 2008, the first time the National Retail Federation asked the question.

It's the highest percentage seen in that timeframe, according to the NRF's Consumer Holiday Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics. Some 21 percent of shoppers began before October, according to a recent Brand Keys survey.

"Thanksgiving weekend shopping has evolved tremendously over the past few years and can no longer be seen as the 'start' of the holiday season, though there's no question it's still important to millions of holiday shoppers and retailers of all shapes and sizes," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "There is a real sea change happening in retail when it comes to the how, when, where and why of holiday shopping. Consumers today are looking for great prices and value-add promotions earlier than ever before, and retailers have answered these demands in several different ways already this holiday season."


Younger shoppers are among the busiest early in the season. Nearly 65 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds and 62 percent of 35 to 44-year-olds say they have already started shopping.

 "While there are many 'Type A' holiday shoppers who love to get an early start on their wish lists, it's also likely some of the early shopping we've seen has been in the form of 'self-gifting,' and there's no question millennials love treating themselves to something when the price is right," said Pam Goodfellow, principal analyst and consumer insights director for Prosper. "And with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday still to come, holiday shoppers of all ages are still in for a treat when it comes to unbeatable promotions."


 Hot gift items this year include apparel and accessories (60 percent); books, CD's and DVDs (46 percent); and toys (41 percent). One in five will buy jewelry, and 30.5 percent will spend on food or candy.


 And for the first time, the number of shoppers who intend to buy gift cards has declined: 56.3 percent plan to buy cards, down from 60 percent last year, despite gift cards being the most requested gift item, according to NRF.


 Thus far in the season, retailers are getting high marks from shoppers when it comes to promotions. Slightly more than 40 percent rank retail promotions as excellent or good, and another 34.8 percent said they were average.


 Retailers' attempts to reach millennials with more targeted messaging and promotions appear to be working as well. Nearly 59 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 54.5 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds agree retailers' deals have either been excellent or good.
To View Original Article: http://www.fierceretail.com/story/57-holiday-shoppers-have-already-begun/2015-11-13

Make Your Website Research Ready with a Brands Page

By Brian Ewing

According to a recent study, 78% of shoppers used the internet for research during the holiday season last year. Your customers are making their lists and checking them twice…online. Even if your business isn’t e-commerce, you have an opportunity to make an impact on sales with an online presence.

What Are Consumers Researching on Store Websites?

Shopping during the holiday season is stressful. Not only are consumers trying to find the perfect gifts for loved ones, they’re fighting the crowds and calendar.
Planning is key to make the most of shopping trips. Customers plot out their course ahead of time, based on what gifts are available where. As a small business, it’s crucial to let customers know the brands and products you carry to become part of their shopping schedule.

Your Store Website & the Importance of a Brands Page

A dedicated brands page on your website is the best way to give consumers and search engines an idea of what you carry in-store. This is critical for SEO ranking and holiday research. Start by listing your most popular brands and continue expanding until you have a complete collection. A great way to organize the page is to display your brands’ logos alphabetically. See this perfect example from our subscriber, Pizazz Studio.

Beyond the Brands Page

If you’d like to take your website a step further, create separate pages for each of your major brands. Display the most popular items for the season, so consumers can quickly see you not only carry the brand, but the product they want. If you’re not selling online, make sure to place a CTA (call-to-action) message on each page asking the customer to contact the store for up-to-date inventory information. Lastly, make the logos on your brands page click-through links to the new product pages for an easy navigation experience.
Use your website to drive more sales, even if you don’t have e-commerce! Create a brands page to showcase your products and let holiday shoppers find you!


To View Original Article:  http://www.snapretail.com/make-your-website-research-ready-with-a-brands-page/

Holiday Bootcamp Webinar on 8.25.15

 

Join us for our annual Holiday Boot Camp webinar to help prepare yourself for the busiest shopping season of the year with these tips and tricks from industry professionals!

Why Shopping Independent Stores This Holiday Season Should Be On Your To-Do-List

 

written by: Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle, Forbes Contributor

 

Did you know that on average, 48 percent of each purchase at local independent businesses was recirculated locally, compared to less than 14 percent of purchases at chain stores? This data, shared by the American Independent Business Alliance, along with countless other reasons are why it’s so important to support your local LOCM +1.38% businesses this holiday season and always.

"Shopping should be an enjoyable experience with interactions that leave us feeling good versus feeling like we have to do a chore. I find that’s far more likely to happen when I’m patronizing local independent businesses, plus I also find independent merchants usually beat the chains or the online mega retailers when you add up the key factors. These include product quality and durability, getting expert advice without having to waste time doing my own research and ease of return if an exchange is needed, as well as price. I think the discount chains have brainwashed America into valuing cheapness above all, but the best value isn’t always – or even usually – the cheapest product or vendor,” shares Co-Director of the American Independent Business Alliance Jeff Milchen.

Expanding on this is Ellen Divita, Director of Community Development in DeKalb, Illinois, which is home to Northern Illinois University.

"Keeping purchases close to home helps communities in countless ways, and consumers need to recognize this as they make their purchase decisions. Local shopping – whether at small or larger stores – impact community economics, and too often purchases are being made online nowadays. Browsing the shelves of your local store is an experience which cannot be replaced by shopping on-line, even if cheaper and quicker,” Divita states.

Additionally, Divita shares that DeKalb recently lost a major retailer and as a result, they’d like to attract independent merchants to make up for this loss while also bringing value to their community.

"We intend to work with our businesses to focus on customer service and build the customer experience. We are hopeful to attract an independent book seller as a key downtown revitalization strategy yet know this will be a challenge,” Divita further states.

Advantages to Shopping Local 
With internet shopping at our fingertips and big box stores always competing to one-up the other when it comes to offering consumers deals, independent merchants and other small businesses too often get lost in the dust. This trend, however, doesn’t have to continue and thanks to movements that include Small Business Saturday – which takes place the Saturday following Thanksgiving – and the increasingly popular Shop Small message that is shared year round, consumers are becoming more in-tune with the value of shopping local.

"More and more people are recognizing how important it is for their local economy and quality of life to patronize local businesses that support their community. That includes not only job creation and taxes, but support for local charities, events and more,” Milchen of the American Independent Business Alliance states. 

To expand on this, consider why shopping local impacts your immediate community beyond economics. For starters, independent businesses help bring character and charm to communities – as well as help communities stand out and become more exciting, more enjoyable and more memorable than others. This ultimately leads to strong economic growth and long-term vitality, as well as helps bring new residents and jobs into the community.

Consider your own firsthand experience, as well. It’s likely fair to say that you’ve experienced towns worth visiting and towns only worth driving through simply based on the unique small shops that exist within them. Collectively, these small businesses help shape and create the community in which they reside – as well as bring together residents and out of town visitors alike.

If charm isn’t reason enough to get you shopping local, consider the value that small, local businesses bring to your local employment options. Independent businesses help increase employment rates, as well become the customers to local accountants, lawyers, printers, marketing agencies and more. The domino effect is simply too good to ignore – yet unfortunately, too many consumers do.

Online or at big box stores, remember that every time you spend even a dollar, you are impacting your local economy, vitality and overall livelihood. The schools, public services, parks and recreation and so much more are all impacted by local businesses, as well, and again, impacted by your choice to support your community at large… or not. So this holiday season – and even beyond – consider where you want to spend your dollars and how it will impact the big picture of your hometown.



To view the original article please visit: http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicoleleinbachreyhle/2014/11/08/why-shopping-independent-stores-this-holiday-season-should-be-on-your-to-do-list/
 

Holiday Consumer Spending on the Rise

We live in a time of instant gratification where we can face time from Timbuktu, purchase a dream vacation or our groceries at the click of button, and store any type of information on something called the “cloud.” These fast paced times allow us to conquer an abundance of errands in mere minutes, but with the ease of shopping at the click of a button, how is this effecting consumer spending? 

In a recent study from the National Retail Federation they broke down consumer spending by American holidays to see where the most money was being spent. Some say that we may be living in a financial crisis right now but results show this is not affecting the average consumer’s wallet. Holidays like Halloween that used to only be for the kids dressing up and trick-or-treating down neighborhoods with families has transformed into a huge gold mine for retailers. Thanksgiving has gone from eating a family dinner, while watching some good old American football, to the ultimate bargain shopping extravaganza, including camping out overnight to secure the best discounts and deals. In order to get a closer look the NRF ranked each holiday by spending below:

Halloween: Since 2005 consumer spending on Halloween has increased by more than 55% with purchases of children and adult costumes, decorations, candies and party favors. In a survey conducted last year, consumers said they spend an average of $75 coming to a total of about $6.9 billion! Retailers said they dedicate specific aisles for Halloween merchandise and some including life size decorations.

Mother’s Day: We all know we owe a lot to Mom and spending reports show we are in fact showering her with gifts and cards on her special day. Consumers said they spend an average of $163 on gifts, special outings and flowers on Mother’s Day totaling an average of $19.9 billion.

Back to School/College Shopping: As a little girl in pigtails, I remember this being my favorite time of the year to go shopping with my Dad. Heading down the aisles of colorful pens, notebooks and trapper keepers, I stocked up on school supplies galore! (yes, total nerd) Now parents are really feeling the hit to their wallets with purchases of dorm furniture, school supplies, clothes and even electronics get a boost in sales this time of year. Last year families spent about $72.5 billion on back to school shopping with a wide array of stores playing into this retail frenzy. Furniture stores, electronics stores, grocery stores and even thrift stores all play a role in this boost of consumer spending.

Winter holidays: This is the ultimate shopping season which accounts for nearly 20% of annual retail sales for retailers.  Holiday gifts, decorations, and parties give a huge boost to the economy with spending totaling nearly $602 billion last year. Consumers said they spent on average $730 on gifts and food during this special time of year increasing spending by 3.9% compared to the year before. Studies show this is the most celebrated time of the year with over 90% of Americans partaking in this spending frenzy celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza.

Holiday spending used to only be associated with the winter season but times show retailers are kept hustling all year long. This transformation from family oriented holidays to consumer spending outings is definitely a nice boost for the retail industry! You may be spending a little more during the holidays but if you’re nice, you just might be receiving a little more too!