BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—According to Leisure Trends’ annual holiday survey, many consumers planned to shop early to avoid the traditional shopping rush in November and December this season.
The survey contains results from two separate online polls conducted among both the general population and the Most Active Americans Panel. The panel is made up of more than 2,400 participants who are active in one of more than 72 different activities and purchase sports, fitness and recreation goods and services at twice the rate of the general population.
Nearly one-third of the panel (32 percent) reported that they planned to shop before Thanksgiving, and 64 percent said they would do their holiday shopping in early December.
The survey also found that Black Friday was still an opportunity for retailers to capture Active American dollars, as 16 percent said they would buy on the biggest shopping day of the year. But 19 percent reported that they preferred shopping online and would be taking advantage of Cyber Monday sales.
The least popular day to buy was Thanksgiving evening, with only 5 percent of participants reporting that they would shop after their holiday meal.
The survey also found that nearly 25 percent of holiday budgets are allocated for sports, recreation and fitness purchases made online. Panel members reported that 22 percent of their holiday shopping budget is reserved for specialty chain stores, and 20 percent for independent specialty retailers.
Leisure Trends senior retail analyst Scott Jaeger recommends that outdoor retailers stock their stores with a diverse lineup of traditionally strong holiday categories.
"Heading into the holidays, the outdoor industry faces a unique set of challenges but also several opportunities,” said Jaeger. “Instead of waiting and hoping for the next magic bullet brand to suddenly appear, retailers should start aggressively changing their product mix to include some of this year's fastest-growing brands."
