Survey: Biggest Holiday Dawdlers Are Men

Washington, D.C., One in five men has not started holiday shopping yet, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2007 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch and released on Tuesday. The survey found that nearly one in five men (19.4%) had yet to begin their holiday shopping, more than women (13.7%) or young adults 18-24 (17.6%).

Some 25 million consumers (11.7%) have completely finished their holiday shopping, according to the report, but more than 35 million shoppers (16.5%) admit they haven’t even started. Thus far, the average person has completed about half (52.6%) of his or her shopping, compared to 53.1% at this time last year.

According to the survey, department stores are expected to be the destination of choice the week before Christmas, as 42.4% of shoppers plan to visit those stores to finish up holiday shopping. Other destinations will include discount stores (38.9%), the Internet (34.9%) and specialty stores (29.9%).

Clothing and accessories have been the most popular gifts this holiday season, with 44.4% of consumers (and 49.8% of women) purchasing at least one item this year. Books, CDs and DVDs (41.9%) have also been popular choices, as are toys (35.4%).

While less than a third of consumers (30.2%) have already purchased a gift card, sales of the cards are expected to jump this week as procrastinators find themselves running out of time.

NRF is forecasting holiday sales to increase 4% over last year, bringing total sales to $474.5 billion.