2010 Holiday Shopping Trends - What The Retailers Expect

Online, October 28, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Holiday season Sales are expected to bounce back during this Holiday season from the lower levels which were observed in '09, as stated by Jim Clark, director of ecommerce store ChristmasGiftsVault.com

Christmas purchases are anticipated to increase to $447 billion, up 2.3 percent from a year ago, according to a forecast unveiled by National Retail Federation. This would be a great improvement over the tiny 0.4 per cent that was observed in 2009. Nevertheless the stores are concerned as concerns stay on about customers' readiness to shop for high priced items.

Although customers confidence is coming back again and shoppers have now begun to purchase again, it remains to be seen whether the Christmas period sees a strong increase in sales and profits for retailers. Even the National Retail Federation's estimate is lower when compared to 10 year average Holiday product sales growth of 2.5 %.

Even as the Halloween shopping season comes to a close, it is apparent that people have certainly spent more cash in 2010. Early estimates claim that Halloween costume and party buying has grown by as much as $10 for every person with some e-commerce stores reporting a 20 percent boost in sales when compared to the the 2009 sales figures. It comes as no great surprise that as much as one-third of the sales have happened at web stores due to the sheer variety of items offered there and the amazing savings which they provide. However the bad news for the retail stores is that people are currently shopping for far more bargain priced goods rather than pricey ones and in many cases postponing their purchasing decisions to take advantage of the last minute bargains.

So the message from your buyer is obvious. They have become price conscious and in addition they want more value for each and every dollar which they shell out. Furthermore the credit supply remains to be restricted so the stores will have to discover ingenious ideas to grab the interest of the buyer. One thing is obvious, retailers who offer superior bargains and have considerable web based presence will do very well. It really is fascinating to note at this point that online product sales are improving significantly every year, regardless of the tough economy, and more and more companies are now merchandising online to boost their reach and enhance their product sales volumes.