Word: beemer
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According to retail expert Brit Beemer, electronics are virtually tied with toys as the top Christmas-gift item for the first time in more than 25 years. In a survey conducted last weekend by Beemer's firm, America's Research Group, and UBS Global Equity Research, 30% of consumers cited electronics when asked what gift they were buying most often (30.8% said toys). Last year, only 23.7% of respondents said they'd purchase an electronics item. The sector's strength has compelled Beemer, for the first time in his 19 years of conducting Christmas consumer surveys, to revise his holiday...
...from 44.4% last year, a surprising jump considering that the U.S. was in the depths of the financial crisis during the previous holiday season. "Parents want to maintain gift-spending levels for their kids, so they are showing more willingness to trim on each other," says Britt Beemer, founder and chairman of America's Research Group...
...they would cut back on gifts for each other, so in just two years the number of spendthrift spouses has increased almost nine-fold. "This holiday season, parents are telling us that they still worry about job security, and they are desperately trying to cut down on debts," says Beemer. Even the pooch may be getting better treatment than Pops. In a separate Consumer Reports survey, 22% of women who expected to reduce their holiday spending said they would be cutting back on gifts for their spouse. Only 14% said they would cut back on gifts for their pets. Ruff...
Thanks in part to these forecasted cuts in spouse-to-spouse gifting, Beemer is predicting a 2.9% drop in holiday retail sales, compared with a 2.7% drop a year ago. "I know some analysts are predicting positive numbers, but I just don't see it working out as well," he says. Given his track record - Beemer's sales predictions have been accurate within a half of 1% over the past 17 of 18 holiday seasons - the economy shouldn't expect a Christmas gift. "It's a heck of a challenging time," says Mark Israel, president of Hearts on Fire...
According to Beemer's research, 51.5% of consumers plan to spend less this year, compared with 40.1% who said they'd cut back a year ago. Retailers have been quick to trumpet how their more manageable inventory levels and smaller staffs will help control costs. But such cuts could backfire against them. Over 41% of shoppers, as opposed to 21% in 2008, say they will leave stores that are short-handed or have long lines at the register. If cash-strapped customers already feel a little guilty about shopping to begin with, they'll look for any excuse to head...