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发帖数: 29846 | 1 (Reuters) - More than a third of U.S. shoppers are already done with most of
their holiday shopping, a survey showed on Monday, signaling that retailers
need to offer bigger incentives to win sales in the few weeks before
Christmas.
The findings underscore the fragility of the U.S. recovery, since consumer
spending accounts for about 70 percent of the nation's economy.
About 32 percent of people surveyed by America's Research Group said they
finished a majority of their Christmas shopping in November. Last month
included Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when stores pulled out all
the stops on discounts to woo shoppers during their biggest season of the
year.
More than 6 percent completed most of their holiday shopping in the first
weekend of December.
The questions were asked exclusively for Reuters as part of a larger America
's Research Group survey.
"There is very little retailers can do unless they really have some
incredible sales that force that consumer to reconsider if they want ... to
make an extra purchase now," said America's Research Group President Britt
Beemer.
About 28 percent of people surveyed said they plan to take a break from
shopping, now that the Black Friday weekend is behind them.
"Many, many consumers, when they got those early bird specials on Black
Friday, decided that that was going to be the big purchase for their family,
" Beemer said, adding that many shoppers spent more than they planned on
Black Friday.
Sales during the Black Friday weekend soared to $52.4 billion, according to
the National Retail Federation, which sees sales for the full season up 2.8
percent.
The survey also highlighted other grievances of the post-recession U.S.
consumer.
More than 43 percent of those surveyed said they expect the debt crisis in
Europe to hurt the United States, while about 36 percent of Americans said
political gridlock in Washington as the biggest problem facing the U.S.
economy right now.
About 27 percent worry about the rising cost of living, while about a
quarter of those surveyed see unemployment as the key issue faced by the U.S
. economy.
Many shoppers said that discount chains would be their destination of choice
to do the rest of the holiday shopping, with nearly 38 percent of holiday
shoppers planning to visit one, highlighting that shoppers remain highly
price-sensitive.
"You have got to give them a deal that is incredible," Beemer said,
suggesting retailers slash prices and offer deep discounts of 50 percent and
60 percent to lure shoppers this month.
Department stores offering unique merchandise also found many fans, with
about 30 percent of shoppers planning to visit one during the rest of the
season.
The telephone survey of 1,000 people was conducted from December 3-4, and
has an error factor of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. |
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