Get ready for 'Super Saturday'
Shoppers are expected to turn out in droves this coming Saturday (“Super Saturday”) and also on Sunday, the last weekend before Christmas.
At least that’s according to the International Council of Shopping Centers latest consumer survey, which finds that 44% of consumers still having holiday shopping left to due, and 92% of them will be heading out to stores in force over the coming weekend to shop, dine, see a movie and/or attend a holiday related event.
“We’ve seen an elongated season which has been very similar to 2014,” said Jesse Tron, consumer and retail spokesman, ICSC. “Consumers still have a hefty portion of their shopping left to complete – on par with last year – but are significantly behind the 2013 rate of completion. We expect the last few days leading up to Christmas to be a flurry of shopping activity.”
In the days leading up to Christmas, 37 million consumers will buy something online and pick it up at a store, according to ICSC. Of these shoppers, 76% will purchase additional items in the store where they retrieved their purchase and nearly half (48%) will purchase an item at an adjacent store.
Furthermore, before heading out to the stores this coming weekend, 62% of shoppers will do research online ahead of time.
"What we are seeing is a story of convergence. It’s not a bricks versus clicks story – it’s really a bricks and clicks story,” said Tom McGee, CEO, ICSC. “The store has become the central point of the physical and digital shopping experience. We know that over 90% o all sales occur in a physical location, but digital channels are really starting to drive people to the physical and influence how they shop once they get there.
The survey confirms that the 2015 holiday season is thriving. Holiday shoppers are on pace to spend an average of $630 for gifts/holiday-related items – a cumulative total of $140 billion. Throw food, beverage, and personal services related to the holidays into the mix for the upcoming days until Christmas, and holiday shoppers’ total expenditure increases to $737 per consumer.