'Tis the Season: Mobile Devices Gain Popularity among Holiday Shoppers
Americans aren't only shifting where they're shopping this holiday season -- how they're shopping is changing, too. According to NRF's 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, mobile devices like iPhones and Androids are becoming more popular among consumers, and many shoppers plan to use these devices this holiday season to look for gift ideas, compare prices and find items in nearby stores.
According to the survey, more than one-fourth of American adults with a smartphone (26.8%) will use these devices to research or make holiday purchases, and that number jumps to 45 percent among young adults 18-24. Retailers are expected to take advantage of this trend by offering more robust mobile apps and websites, along with enhanced features like mobile reviews, to cater to Americans looking to shop from their phones.
Additional findings from NRF's first holiday survey show that though Americans are still operating with the recession in the back of their minds and many have fundamentally changed their shopping habits, consumers won't only be focusing on low prices and basic necessities this year. U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $688.87 on holiday-related shopping, a slight rise from last year's $681.83.
"Consumers will still shop with the economy in the back of their minds, but we're starting to see shoppers take baby steps toward a new normal," says NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "As Americans open up their wallets for more discretionary gifts like jewelry or take advantage of sales to buy for themselves, retailers will begin to truly believe that the worst may be behind them."
According to the survey, 61.7 percent of shoppers say the economy will impact their spending, down from last year's 65.3 percent. Many shoppers say they will compensate by spending less (81.5%), comparison shopping online (30.9%) or with newspapers and circulars (28.1%), shopping for sales (54.1%) or using more coupons (40.6%).
Although the economy continues to impact shoppers, a number of survey results indicate that shoppers may be ready to emerge from their shells this holiday season. When asked which one factor will be most important when shopping this holiday season, the majority of shoppers said that sales or price discounts (41.8%) or everyday low prices (12.7%) were most important. While those factors either declined or remained flat this year, two other categories rose in importance. The number of people who counted customer service as the most important factor rose from 4.4 percent last year to 5.3 percent this year, while shoppers who touted quality as the overriding factor rose from 11.8 percent to 12.7 percent.
"Price is paramount during any recession, but when the economy begins to recover other factors take on greater importance," says Phil Rist, executive vice president, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. "When shoppers consider other factors like customer service and quality in buying decisions, retailers have the ability to highlight a variety of other features to help their company stand out from the competition." NRF continues to expect holiday sales to rise 2.3 percent to $447.1 billion.
Click here to view complete survey results and sample charts.