Posts Tagged ‘holiday sales’
by Christina Lee on June 7th, 2009
This Father’s Day, U.S. consumers are buying what they know will suit their loved ones, while spending just a little less.
After spending $88.01 on recent graduates and $123.89 on mothers in May, U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $90.89 on fathers, down from last year’s $94.54. The National Retail Federation also expects total spending to reach $9.4 billion, according to the D.C. trade association’s most recent survey.
Sporting goods, gardening tools and appliances are still mainstay Father’s Day gifts, as consumers anticipate spending more than $500 million in each product category.
But while ties and socks also... Read more »
by Christina Lee on April 2nd, 2009
U.S. consumers anticipate spending an average of $116.59 on Easter merchandise – though $18 less than what they paid last year, still enough reason for retailers to keep promoting their products.
“With Easter falling so late this year, retailers will have plenty of time to entice shoppers with deals on spring apparel and other Easter merchandise,” said Tracy Mullin, president of the National Retail Federation.
The D.C. trade group expects total spending to reach $12.73 billion, based on a survey conducted with BIGresearch in early March. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed said that they observe Easter.
While the holiday... Read more »
by Christina Lee on January 21st, 2009
As retail experts analyzed slumping holiday retail sales, they quickly placed part of the blame on the shorter shopping season, with five less days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than in 2007. However, as a recent study finds, 2008’s online consumers actually browsed more, prolonging the season for more than as seen in years.
According to Oneupweb, a search engine and marketing company, the week of Halloween, Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, became the biggest for sales and conversion rates of the holiday season – indicating that customers began shopping even earlier. Returns, gift cards and after-Christmas bargains then led to... Read more »
by Christina Lee on December 23rd, 2008
Reports of this year’s pre-Christmas retail environment showed that, despite deep discounts and high hopes, consumers did not shop as much as they did last year.
Retail sales are expected to fall by 8 percent in December through Christmas Eve, after falling 5.5 percent last month, according to MasterCard’s SpendingPulse report. Both declines, with the economy and weather in mind, added up to “one of the most challenging holiday shopping seasons in decades,” said Michael McNamara, vice-president of research and analysis.
With the average price per gallon down by almost 50 percent compared to last year, gasoline sales also dragged... Read more »
by Christina Lee on December 2nd, 2008
Though more shoppers sought out post-Thanksgiving discounts this year, sales figures released so far provide little hope for high profits for the remainder of the holiday season.
Traditionally at brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday, and more recently at online stores on the following Cyber Monday, consumers have learned to eagerly pursue some of the lowest markdowns they will see over the holiday season. But with this year’s price cuts and overall consumer behavior, experts still wonder if retailers have been able to reap any profits this holiday season.
Consumer spending over the Black Friday weekend – running Thursday through Sunday... Read more »
by Christina Lee on November 18th, 2008
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today wholesale energy and gasoline prices dropped dramatically in October – ultimately, a stark indication of decreasing demand resulting from the global economic downturn.
While wholesale energy prices fell 12.8 percent, wholesale gasoline prices dropped 24.9 percent after just a 0.5 percent decline last month.
So far in November, falling oil barrel prices and consumption have made current gasoline prices the lowest since summer 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The average retail price also dropped yesterday to $2.132 a gallon – a 2008 all-time low after prices peaked to $4.165 in... Read more »
by Christina Lee on November 12th, 2008
Experts now predict that 2008 retail cargo traffic will be the lowest since 2004 – a sign of cautious behavior from retailers this holiday season.
The National Retail Federation now expects cargo volume to total 15.3 million TEU (20-foot equivalent units) for the year, a 7.1 percent decline from last year. A month ago, the trade group foresaw a 6.5 percent drop in yearly retail cargo traffic, with total cargo volume being the lowest since 2005.
With retailers attempting to avoid unplanned post-holiday markdowns, “the balance between supply and demand is tougher than ever,” said Jonathan Gold, vice-president for supply... Read more »
by Christina Lee on October 7th, 2008
Bleak economic news cannot scare consumers faithful to Halloween, a recent survey shows. In fact, the average person plans to spend $66.54 to celebrate – an amount that has continued to increase over the past eight years.
“Consumers – who have been anxious and uncertain for the past several months – may be looking at Halloween as an opportunity to forget the stresses of daily life,” said National Retail Federation President Tracy Mullin in a statement.
The trade group’s survey, conducted last month by BIGresearch, revealed consumer behavior similar to that of 2002, another recession year. Back then, the average... Read more »
by Christina Lee on October 6th, 2008
Even with the holiday season drawing near, store owners are continuing to brace themselves for slow sales with smaller inventories, according to National Retail Federation reports.
In addition, the trade group expects a 6 percent drop in yearly retail cargo traffic – 2 percent more than its prediction made less than two months ago.
For U.S. ports, October is traditionally the busiest time of the year, as store owners stock up for the holiday months. It is also when the National Retail Federation usually expects to see year-to-year growth. The D.C.-based trade group even predicted in August that October traffic... Read more »
by Danny Brown on December 10th, 2007
Like any small business, eBay store owners can have peak times and quieter times for their sales. A fishing store may see busier times in the Fall or Spring, and an eBay golf store may have most of its business in the warmer months. However, one area where every eBay store owner can have a busy period is during the Holiday season. That’s why it’s always worthwhile to have a plan in place, to maximize your eBay holiday sales.
Start Early
If you look at the most successful magazines, they always plan their big stories 8-12 weeks ahead of publication.... Read more »