Remembering Christmas past, American consumers are waiting for the last minute to finish holiday shopping in order to get the kind of drastic discounts of 60% to 70% that they found in 2008. This is a new research finding posted on BeemerReport.com, a new, largely video-based, website that taps into the population’s mood and economic trends as revealed by proprietary research.
“If these last minute shoppers don’t see big discounts, don’t expect them to spend their hard earned money,” said consumer trend expert C. Britt Beemer, founder and CEO of America’s Research Group (ARG).
A survey last weekend revealed that of the 26.5% of all Americans planning to complete their shopping just before Christmas, 95.1% are waiting for more sales. Of the shoppers waiting until right before the holiday, 33.3% want to see 70% marked off, 32.1% want to see 60% off, and 24.6% want to see 50% off. This is the first time that ‘50% off’ has not been in first or second place.
Conducted exclusively for BeemerReport.com on December 5 and 6 at ARG headquarters in Charleston, SC, the research consisted of telephone interviews with 1,000 consumers. The error factor is plus or minus 3.8%.
BeemerReport.com was launched on December 2. A subscription based service, it features constantly updated poll data available exclusively to members. The site will feature a minimum of 10 new research findings per month on a variety of topics such as holiday sales forecasts, retail stores favored by consumers, public confidence in the banking industry, numbers of people considering car purchases etc.
Beemer has a successful record in forecasting business trends for clients ranging from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire-Hathaway companies, General Electric and UBS to Sealy Mattress Company and many U.S. retailers. Known for his detailed reports and honest opinion, Beemer is frequently quoted by major broadcast and print media.