Survey: Half of consumers to begin holiday shopping pre-Black Friday

Austin, Texas -- Nearly half (46%) of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping before November this year, and one in four intend to have their holiday shopping completely finished by Black Friday. According to the RetailMeNot Shoppers Trend Report survey, conducted in conjunction with The Omnibus Company, 15% of consumers pick up winter holiday gifts throughout the year to spread out the cost.



Other notable findings include:



• One in three consumers feel that retailers being open on Thanksgiving Day gives those who have to work on Black Friday the opportunity to still get great sales.

• Close to one in four (22%) Americans feels retailers being open on Thanksgiving Day gives people something fun to do on the holiday .

• One in five think it allows people to get better deals than on Black Friday.



Based on trends from 2012 and 2013, RetailMeNot expects to see the following activities surrounding Black Friday this year: strong offers throughout the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, staggered deals, guaranteed product availability within certain timeframes, price matching, omnichannel offers, incentivizations to join loyalty programs, discounts beyond consumer electronics, and programs such as in-store pickup to avoid having to fulfill last-minute delivery orders.