End-of-year holiday sales are expected to be higher this year than in 2011, according to new research.
The United Services Automobile Association forecasts higher sales among holiday shoppers in a summary of results from the company’s fourth annual USAA holiday spending survey of 1,011 adult consumers.
USAA commissioned ORC International to conduct the poll to determine how consumers plan to approach their holiday spending and budgeting activities this year compared to previous years’ surveys on this topic.
The report indicates that consumers plan to buy more gifts this year as their sentiment toward holiday budgeting has become more positive in 2012 when compared to 2011 (53% vs. 45%).
For the third year in a row, fewer holiday shoppers plan to cut their holiday spending and to budget holiday expenses, the survey said. In 2012, 24% of shoppers report plans to scale back, compared with 31% in 2011 and 40% in 2010.
Just over half of the survey respondents (55%) plan to budget holiday purchases in 2012. This compares with 57% in 2011 and 61% in 2010.
This year’s survey findings underscore the growing trend of mobile shopping, the survey adds. More than half of those polled (56%) plan to use their mobile devices as a tool for comparison shopping, downloading coupons, searching for availability in stores and making purchases.
This article was orginally posted at LifeHealthPro.com, a sister site of Credit Union Times.
