Washington – More than half of all smartphone owners will
use their devices to research and purchase gift items this holiday season, a
new survey shows.
The poll, conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF)
and BIGresearch, also found that CE is the third most wished for holiday gift
by all consumers, behind only gift cards and apparel.
Among smartphone owners, nearly one-third (31 percent) will
research products and/or compare prices, 14.1 percent will purchase products,
17.3 percent will redeem coupons, and 15.6 percent will use apps to research or
purchase items this holiday season.
One-quarter (25.1 percent) of smartphone owners said they will
also use their handsets to look up information about brick-and-mortar stores such
as hours and location.
Tablet owners are even more likely to use their device to
aid in their holiday shopping, the survey showed, with seven in 10 planning to
research and shop using their devices. Half (50.8 percent) will research
products and/or compare prices, and more than one-third (34.8 percent) will
make a purchase with their tablet. Tablet owners will also redeem coupons (21.5
percent), look up storefront information (33.8 percent), and use apps to
research items or purchase products (21.0 percent).
When it comes to mobile shopping, young adults present the
biggest opportunity for retailers, NRF advised. According to the survey, 72.2
percent of Americans aged 18-24 are likely to use their smartphones and 86.4
percent will use their tablets to shop for holiday items this year.
Meanwhile, the percentage of shoppers who plan to seek out
holiday deals on the Internet has grown to 46.7 percent from 43.9 percent last
year. Additionally, the average holiday shopper plans to do 36 percent of his
shopping online, including product research, price comparisons and actual
purchases.
Online shoppers plan to spend more as well – the average
person who will shop online this holiday season will spend about 22 percent
more than those consumers who only plan to shop in physical stores. Adults aged
25-34, many of whom have small children and crave convenience, will complete
43.7 percent of their holiday shopping online, the most of any age group, the
poll shows.
Among other findings of the holiday survey:
·
a record 57.7 percent of consumers said they
would like to receive gift cards this holiday, topping apparel (50 percent), CE
(35.4 percent) and jewelry (22.8 percent), and;
·
when
asked which one factor will be most important when shopping this holiday
season, sales or price discounts largely win out (41.6 percent), but customer
service (6 percent, up from 5.3 percent last year) and quality of merchandise
(14.6 percent vs. 12.7 percent in 2010) are continuing to become more vital
components in consumers’ decision making processes.
“When it comes to retail growth this holiday season, slow
and steady wins the race – and the same is true for shoppers, who are
meticulously calculating the best ways to stretch their dollar,” said NRF
president/CEO Matthew Shay. “Knowing their customers are more focused than ever
on value, retailers will entice shoppers with promotions that go beyond
discounts, whether they’re promoting free gifts with purchase, an extended
warranty, or stellar customer service.”
The NRF 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was
conducted October 4-11, 2011. BIGresearch polled 8,585 consumers for the
survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.
