Published Dec. 23, 2010 AOL Patch
By Alex Coppola
Lighted wreaths and colorful advertisements welcome shoppers as they enter the South Shore Mall in Braintree, but for retailers, not everything looks so bright.
With the holiday shopping season upon us, surveys and polls of likely shoppers are pointing to another large drop in spending.
An America’s Research group survey shows that 43 percent of American shoppers plan to spend less during the last quarter of the year than they did in 2009.
Although economists have speculated growth, many are still unsure if the economy is on the rise.
“Over the course of the year, I’ve heard the economy is going up, but people are still getting laid off so I’m not sure if the two have offset each other,” said Will Mullin of Plymouth.
With retailers like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Amazon making a big push early this holiday season with free shipping deals even before Thanksgiving, consumer confidence still remains low. “I think people are still clinging to their money and will spend the same if not less than last year,” said Mullin.
He may be on to something, as a new survey by First Command Financial Services says 71 percent of middle-class families defined as those with incomes of $50,000 or more, plan to give less this holiday season. Thirty-eight percent say they will spend less than $500 total on gifts this year, up from 18 percent who said so last year.
As retail stores look to capitalize on the weeks following Black Friday, it appears many retailers will continue to offer big discounts following the official start of the holiday shopping season.
“Many stores have already rolled out the red carpet so to speak, in terms of coupons and discounts that were given out for Black Friday, and the rest of the holiday season. I think the competition between stores for the best deals can only help consumers,” said Kadeem Jeudy a sales representative at the clothing store, Express, in Braintree’s South Shore Mall.
Jeudy also points to the importance of online shopping this holiday season. “Cyber Monday is a big deal and the sales of online shopping early and in the middle of the season are often indicative as to whether or not the season will be successful.”
As online shopping has become increasingly popular, a Yahoo! Intentions and Attitude survey has found that a big selling point is free shipping.
“Holiday discounts and advertisements were earlier than ever this year, and many for free shipping. I prefer shopping online because the deals are often better and I don’t like dealing with the crowds,” said Alyssa Gilbert, a student of Stonehill College who has already begun her online shopping.
A Zoomerang survey of retail businesses and consumers found only 36 percent of shoppers plan to do all their shopping in-person at retail stores. The majority of consumers—64 percent—will do some or all of their holiday shopping online.
This increase may be accredited in part to the rise in the use of smart phones and mobile devices as modes of shopping and online research.
An International Data Corporation (IDC) survey of more than 1,000 American consumers shows that mobile devices are expected to give consumers "greater advantage as they engage retailers."
IDC's study followed another survey performed by Yahoo! that claims two-thirds of all mobile phone users will be using those devices this year while they shop.
They plan to "search for price and product information" in stores, as well as search for "merchandise availability," according to the IDC. About 45 percent of respondents said that they also plan to compare pricing of certain products in other stores in the area, while 32 percent said they will browse reviews from their mobile device.
“We had great Black Friday numbers this year and the entire Thanksgiving weekend was busy. It remains to be seen if large shopping turnouts will continue in the remaining weekends of the season, but so far, it appears that both in store and online shopping has made a great start,” said Elvira Volpe, a customer service staff member at Forever 21.
No matter which method of shopping suits people best, for many shopping habits never change. “I usually shop the week of, or even few days before Christmas,” said Joshua Lantos of Norton. “Ironically, by that time, there aren’t too many more deals to be had.”
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