  Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey asked 537 US consumers 43 questions about their buying and spending outlook for 2008. The data highlights the challenges facing retailers in the battle for their customer’s dollars during the 2008 holiday shopping period.
The research illustrates that retailers will be seeing a steadier rate of purchasing by consumers across the 2008 holiday season. A significant proportion of consumers appear to be starting their holiday shopping early this year; however, 38 percent will shop late in the season to take advantage of discounts. Statistics from the 2008 Accenture Holiday Shopping Survey include: - Black Friday: Almost half (46 percent) of respondents typically shop on Black Friday; slightly less (42 percent) are likely to shop on Black Friday this year.
- Cyber Monday: Nearly one in three (29 percent) indicated their intent to shop on Cyber Monday, of which a fifth of consumers (21 percent) plan to spend between $251 and $500.
- Gifts for Colleagues: Only 14 percent of consumers will buy gifts for colleagues this holiday season; nearly one-third (32 percent) are spending less on work colleagues compared to last year.
- Consumer Budgets: 54 percent of consumers expect to spend at least $100 less than in 2007 and 22 percent plan to spend $250 less than last year.
- Hot Gifts: Just 29 percent expect to have a “hot gift” on their shopping list this year—less than the number of 2007 (33 percent).
- Multi-Channel Shopping: 88 percent say they will research gifts online before buying but 31 percent will not buy anything online this year.
- Holiday Travel: 61 percent of consumers do not expect to travel for the holidays this year.
For details on the above data and much more, please download the complete survey results—Accenture Holiday Shopping Survey, November 2008 [PDF, 229KB]
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