NRF Says Holiday Shoppers Got A Head Start In 2014

The National Retail Federation commented Wednesday that “the average holiday shopper has completed 52.9 percent of their shopping as of December 10, up from 49.9 percent last year" based on a Holiday Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

“This year we witnessed ‘a tale of two holiday shoppers’ with many jumping on retailers’ early, hard-to-pass-up in-store and online promotions, and others waiting until the last minute to wrap up their lists,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Shay added, “In the final stretch, retailers will continue to look for creative ways to attract those with shopping left to do by offering exclusive Super Saturday promotions, extending their in-store holiday hours and promoting deals on expedited shipping. We are optimistic the holiday season will end on a high note for retailers.”

The NRF survey found that “While there’s plenty of shopping left to do, nearly one-third (32.8 percent) plan to buy their last holiday gift before Thursday, December 18; 14.5 percent will look to Super Saturday (Saturday, December 20) to purchase their last gift, and 9.1 percent will wait until the very last minute and buy their last gift on Christmas Eve. Additionally, more men than women will wait until Christmas Eve to purchase the last gift (10.5 percent versus 7.9 percent respectively).”