News

Nearly half of holiday shoppers say they haven't started yet

Bargain hunters are holding out for holiday deals, according to a new NRF survey.

November 12, 2014

Procrastinators and bargain hunters alike are taking their time getting started with their holiday shopping bonanza, possibly to take advantage of deeper discounts over Thanksgiving weekend and late in the season. According to NRF’s Holiday Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, 45.6 percent of holiday shoppers say they haven’t started shopping yet, relatively flat with last year's 46.2 percent but the lowest in the survey’s seven-year history.

“Many consumers are going to wait and see how great the promotions will be later this season before making any commitments,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers have reacted to this ‘wait-and-see’ mentality with fewer October deals and a much quieter entry into November, when we’ll start to see retailers ramp up with offers for exclusive merchandise, deep discounts and unique online savings opportunities.”

The NRF 2014 Holiday Consumer Spending Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey polled 6,593 consumers and was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics, Nov. 3-10, 2014. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.

The survey found that while slightly fewer people haven’t started shopping yet, 20.6 percent have finished 10 percent or less of their shopping, while 12.4 percent have completed about one-quarter of their lists; 2.2 percent are saying they can sit back and relax as they have already finished their shopping for friends and family.

Unsurprisingly, apparel, toys and video games will be popular gift items this year. The survey found six in 10 (60.9 percent) will buy clothing and accessories; 46.3 percent will buy books, CDs, DVDs and video games; and two in five (42 percent) will buy toys. Likely having loaded up on wearable technology items and new smartphones throughout the year, slightly fewer people will buy electronic items as gifts (30.7 percent vs. 33 percent). Some people are in for a real treat: 24 percent of shoppers will buy jewelry for a friend or family member, the highest percent since 2006. Gift cards continue as a favorite for both shoppers and recipients as six in 10 (60 percent) will buy gift cards, similar to the 59.2 percent who planned to do so last year. In an October NRF survey, 60 percent of shoppers also said they’d like to receive gift cards, marking gift cards the most requested gift item for eight years in a row.

The survey found 32.1 percent say they will look for inspiration on wish lists, up from 28.8 percent last year. Others will conduct online searches (47.7 percent), discuss options with family and friends (41.7 percent), check out advertising circulars (34.3 percent) and email advertisements (20.1 percent), and even search Facebook (10.6 percent).

When it comes to how shoppers will pay for their gifts, nearly four in 10 (38 percent) will use their credit card, the most in the survey’s history and up from 28.5 percent last year; one in five (21.6 percent) will use cash; and 38.4 percent will use their debit or check card. Just 2.1 percent will use a check, the lowest in the survey’s history.

When broken down by age group, young adults ages 18-24 are the least likely to use credit to pay for gifts at just 17.7 percent, and those 65-plus are the most likely to use credit cards at 56 percent. Nearly half of 18-24 year olds (48.9 percent) plan to use their debit or check card to buy gift items.