Consumers expected to pack stores on Christmas Eve

New York -Fifteen percent or 23.1 million consumers (16 years of age or older) plan to shop on Christmas Eve (December 24), according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs (ICSC-GS) holiday consumer tracking survey.

“With many last-minute shoppers still needing to finish their gift lists, brick-and-mortar retailers will be the buzzing with activity on Christmas Eve,” said Michael P. Kercheval, president and CEO of ICSC. “The vast majority of the 23 million consumers shopping on that day will be doing so in shopping centers as it will be too late to order gifts online and have them under the tree on Christmas Day,” Kercheval added.

More men (17%) than women (13%) plan to shop that day. By age, those 18 to 34 years old are more likely to be shopping (21%), while those 55 years and over are far less likely to be shopping on that day (8%). By region, 19 percent of those living in the Midwest said they were planning on doing last minute holiday shopping on Christmas Eve, while those in the West (16%), Northeast (13%) and South (13%) were relatively less likely to shop.

And what about shopping on the day after Christmas? Nineteen percent of consumers reported they were likely to shop with men (18%) and women (19%) about equally inclined to do so. Those households with children were most likely to be shopping on Sunday, December 26, with 24% reporting that tendency.