The survey also found that most Americans plan to increase spending on flowers ($18.98 vs. $15.78 last year) and decorations ($46.49 vs. $40.86 last year). Consumers also plan to spend $91.20 on candy and food and $30.57 on greeting cards and postage.
Though retailers have barely begun holiday promotions, many consumers have already started their Christmas shopping. According to the survey, 40.4 percent of consumers will begin their holiday shopping this year before Halloween.
Most shoppers' wish lists will include traditional favorites, from clothing and accessories (53.3 percent), as 52.8 percent of consumers would like to receive a gift card this year.
While the majority of shoppers continue to say that everyday low prices (14.2 percent) and sales or price discounts (36.5 percent) bring them into stores, more shoppers this year said that other factors like customer service (4.4 percent), product quality (12.4 percent), and merchandise selection (24.3 percent) are the most important when determining where to shop. Additionally, 6.5 percent of shoppers said they choose stores with the most convenient location.
NRF continues to forecast that holiday sales will increase 5.0 percent this year to $457.4 billion.
National Retail Federation
marketing@alchempro.com
