Shoppers less irritated by ‘Christmas Creep’

Although most Americans are still irritated to see holiday items appear in the store alongside Halloween goodies and don’t like stores being open on Thanksgiving, attitudes are beginning to change.



That’s according to RichRelevance’s third-annual Holiday Shopping Survey, which finds that 63% of consumers are annoyed or very annoyed when holiday items appear in the store before Halloween – down from 71% in 2014. In addition, 55% are annoyed or very annoyed when stores open on Thanksgiving Day, down from 65% in 2014.



REI made news last year when it closed stores on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, while Nordstrom, Dillard’s, H&M and other retailers made a point of remaining closed on Thanksgiving. According to the survey, 73% of respondents said these retailers’ decisions made them like the retailers more. And 53% said they are more likely to shop with retailers who remain closed on Thanksgiving Day.



A comparable amount (48%) stated they are more likely to shop with REI as a result of its decision.



• Black Friday: The RichRelevance report also found that Black Friday is continuing to lose ground. Only 11% of consumers feel Black Friday has grown in importance, while 42% state Black Friday is less important than it was five years ago.



• 58% said that special deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday do not impact their shopping behavior. However, Cyber Monday is gaining ground, with 33% of saying it is more important than it was five years ago.



In other findings:



• Younger millennial shoppers are more tolerant of Christmas Creep. Early holiday merchandise only bothers half of these shoppers (51% vs. 63% of overall respondents).



• Millennials are also more responsive to deals, with 60% saying that special deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday encourage them to shop.



• This digital generation loves Cyber Monday. More than half (52%) think it is more important than it was five years ago.