With the help of BIGresearch, NRF shares their prediction for the top 10 holiday shopping trends in a recent blog entry. I'll trust you will review the full list if you'd like rather than repeating it here. As you'd expect, the weak economy is having a huge impact on what people plan to buy, where they plan to buy, and how they plan to save some extra dough when they buy. I found it interesting that 11% of people surveyed said they planned to purchase something from a thrift store or resale shop. This is the first year the thrift category was included so its not clear how this compares to 2008. I think this simply goes to show just how impactful the giving spirit/ consumerism is in the holiday season. People would rather give something used than give nothing at all.
And what do people want most? The only category that saw an increase this year was the gift cards, which is often seen as too impersonal. Maybe people need to buy necessities or would just like to treat themselves to something they really want after being frugal all year.
Here's a 3 minute video of what shoppers told EXPO about their holiday shopping plans. One women mentions that she's interested in online stores that offer layaway programs, and goes on to say that some of the "store stores" offer layaway as well. What? Have online retailers now become the stores we think of first and all others with actual people inside get the double noun?
Based on this video, it appears we to have shifted into a community of strong savers when it comes to the holidays. I'd like to check back in with these folks in December once the holiday season marketing has arrived.
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