Research Topic

comScore: Holiday online spending to rise 16% to $61 billion
RESTON, Va. — Total online retail spending for the November–December period will reach $61.0 billion, a 16% gain versus year ago, according to comScore’s 2014 holiday forecast. Spending using desktop computers for that period is expected to reach $53.2 billion, up 14% year-over-year, which is 4 percentage points higher than last season’s 10-percent growth rate.

Mobile commerce is predicted to account for $7.9 billion of retail spending, representing 13% of total digital commerce and growing at an annual rate of 25% vs. last season.
Survey – Anticipated holiday toy spend consistent with 2013
New York, N.Y. - Just more than half of all Americans (51%) plan to purchase toys as gifts in the upcoming holiday season, nearly consistent with the prior year's intent (50%). Not surprisingly, according to a new Harris Poll of 2,205 U.S, adults, parents of a child under the age of 18 are twice as likely to purchase toys as those without children younger than the age of 18 (82% compared 41%, respectively).

Study – Best online Black Friday deals on Wed. night

Milwaukee, W.I. - Most shoppers believe that the best time to shop online for Black Friday deals is on Black Friday itself. However after examining data from the past two years, the staff of Black Friday site GottaDeal.com has determined that the best time to shop online is actually late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
Word of mouth drives 13% of consumer sales

Hollywood, Calif. - Online and offline consumer conversations and recommendations account for 13% of consumer sales, on average, which represents $6 trillion in annual consumer spending. In higher price-point categories, word of mouth's impact is almost 20% of sales, according to a new study from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).
Nielsen – Private label perception among consumers mostly positive

New York, N.Y. - Perceptions about private label are overwhelmingly favorable. Almost three-quarters of global respondents (71%) say store-brand quality has improved over time, according to a new study by Nielsen.
Price is a primary driver of purchase intent among 70% of global respondents, but quality is important, too. Two-thirds (67%) believe private labels offer extremely good value for money.
Mass and e-retailers battle to be top holiday shopping destination

DENVER — An estimated 28% of shoppers plan to do most of their shopping at mass retailers versus 26% who will opt to shop online retailers this holiday season, according to an ongoing shopper behaviour study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research.

Holiday shoppers plan to cash in on a range of offers and value-add services this holiday season. Free shipping continues to be the most popular offer for holiday shoppers, with 58% of shoppers reporting they expect to take advantage of it this holiday season.
Online holiday sales to total $61 billion

Increased use of tablets and smartphone this holiday season will help online sales grow 16% to a record $61 billion, but desktop computers still dominate, according to the online measurement firm comScore.

The company said online sales during the November and December timeframe would be primarily driven by desktop computers, but noted that mobile devices are growing at a faster rate. Spending using desktop computers is projected to grow 14% to $53.2 billion while mobile commerce is projected to grow 25% to $7.9 billion and account for 13% of total e-commerce sales.
Survey: 40% of hoilday shoppers use mobile apps

Los Gatos, Calif. -- Forty percent of holiday shoppers use mobile shopping apps. According to a new poll of 1,000 U.S. consumers from Wanderful Media, parent company of local sales site Findnsave.com, 51% of shoppers are very interested in receiving mobile notifications regarding holiday deals and sales, and 20% of them have already signed up to receive mobile sale alerts.
Study: Facebook leading social network for holiday promotion

New York -- During the 2014 holiday season, marketers will run more campaigns on Facebook than any other social network. According to new data from Experian Marketing Services, 49% of global marketers who run social-media campaigns will do so via organic Facebook posts, and 34% plan to use paid ads or boosted posts.
Deloitte: Consumer spending dips in October

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index marginally dipped in October after two months of consecutive increases. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending. The Index, which comprises four components--tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices--decreased to 4.1 in October from 4.4 the prior month. Highlights of the Index include:
Simon: 4 in 5 consumers begin holiday shopping before Thanksgiving

Indianapolis -- Nearly four-fifths of holiday shoppers (79%) begin their holiday shopping prior to Thanksgiving weekend. According to new data from Simon, Millennials are significantly more likely than all other generations to plan to shop on Black Friday (67%) and Christmas Eve (20%) this holiday season. Other notable findings include:
Survey: 2 in 3 holiday shoppers exceed budget

Bellevue, Wash. –- Two in three (66%) consumers purchasing holiday gifts exceeds their budget, typically by $116. According to a new survey of U.S. consumers from Coinstar, this figure rises to 78% of holiday shoppers with children. Seventy-four percent of holiday shoppers will cut back on indulgences to help afford seasonal gifts. Popular areas to reduce spending among these shoppers include eating out (53%) and entertainment (52%).