Survey: Holiday spending still up for grabs

New York City -- A majority (88%) of consumers have gifts and presents still to purchase, and 79% are undecided about exactly what gifts to buy this year, according to the Holiday Shopping Index, an annual survey by StrategyOne, a Daniel J. Edelman strategic research and measurement consultancy firm.



“With Americans just turning their attention to the holiday season, it's a critical time for retailers and marketers to reach undecided consumers," said Bradley Honan, senior VP StrategyOne. "This is especially true for consumers who are looking for sales or other incentives to get them into stores."



The survey found that value remains an important consideration for consumers, with 86% reporting they would be happy to see more discounts and bargains in stores during their holiday shopping.



In other findings:



*Looking at planned holiday shopping budgets, 39% of Americans said they expect to spend between $100 and $400 this year on gifts; 23% plan to spend $400 to $700; 10% expect to spend $700 to $1,000; and 7% plan to spend $1,000 or more.



* Forty percent said that they hadn't done more holiday shopping yet because they were waiting for better deals or lower prices, while 27% reported that uncertainty over what to buy had delayed their gift purchases.



* Seventy-six percent of consumers also reported they had spent less than 50% of their expected holiday budget -- and 41% said they had only spent 10% or less of their expected total.