'You Can't Always Get What You Want': Deloitte Holiday Survey Says One in Four Consumers Don't Think They'll Get What They Want This Holiday Season

November 18 2006

Nearly one in four consumers (24 percent) don't think they'll get what they want for the holidays this year, despite the fact that more than two-thirds (69 percent) will provide a list or tell people what they want as gifts, according to the 21st Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends, commissioned by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.

Women are more likely to believe they'll get what they want (42 percent vs. 34 percent of men) and are more likely to tell people what they want as gifts (73 percent vs. 63 percent of men).

"By providing gift registries, wish lists and gift suggestions, retailers can potentially gain greater customer loyalty and satisfaction by improving the customer experience," said Pat Conroy, vice chairman and national managing principal of Deloitte's Consumer Business practice. "Last year, more than one in four people (28 percent) returned or exchanged gifts, according to our survey. Savvy retailers will not only make returning and exchanging gifts easier, they will also find opportunities to up-sell during that customer interaction."

Many Shoppers Plan to Procrastinate

Many people admit to procrastination -- 24 percent of those surveyed said they will wait until the last minute to shop. It appears that men wait the longest: 18 percent will start their holiday shopping in early December, while 10 percent will wait until late December. In addition, 43 percent of shoppers will spend some of their holiday budgets after December 25th to take advantage of post-holiday sales.

"We've seen a continued trend of consumers being time pressured and seeking convenience," continued Conroy. "These trends bode well for multichannel retailers, as well as stores with a broad array of merchandise where consumers can purchase a variety of gifts during one visit. In addition, well-timed shopper promotions could draw consumers into stores earlier in the season."

Many Consumers Lack the Holiday Spirit

A potential reason for shoppers' procrastination: 52 percent of those surveyed consider holiday shopping to be a bore or a chore, and men (61 percent) are much more likely to feel that way than are women (42 percent).

"It is essential that retailers provide an exceptional customer experience to make shoppers' visits as convenient, pleasant and easy as possible," added Conroy. "In our survey, the top ten reasons consumers said they would spend more of their holiday budgets at a specific retailer all revolved around the customer experience -- including in-stock merchandise availability, easy return policies, neat displays of merchandise, and streamlined in-store navigation. In addition, the vast majority of survey respondents said that the most important aspect of good customer service is quality staff -- underscoring the need for friendly and knowledgeable sales help."

One in Five Consumers Say They Like Christmas Creep

Stores are putting out holiday merchandise earlier and earlier, and that's just fine with many consumers. While the majority of consumers surveyed would like holiday decorations and merchandise to appear in stores in November, one in five (20 percent) would like to see holiday merchandise in the stores before November -- perhaps so they can get started on some early shopping. Seven percent would like to see stores decorated for the holidays beginning in September or October; eight in ten people would prefer that stores wait until November.

Top Gifts Include: T.M.X. Elmo, iPod, Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox

Toys and consumer electronics are expected to be the big hits this holiday season. In the Deloitte survey, 46 percent of respondents said they expect to buy toys as gifts this year, compared with 33 percent last year. In addition, 25 percent said they would buy video/computer games, compared with 20 percent last year. Top gift categories this year include video/computer games, digital cameras and high definition/plasma televisions; most-wanted gifts include T.M.X. Elmo, iPod, Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox. The most in-demand gift cards this year include iTunes, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Starbucks and Best Buy.

About the Survey

The survey was commissioned by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP and conducted online by an independent research company between September 25 and October 11, 2006. The survey polled a sample of 13,399 adult consumers. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus two percentage points.

About Deloitte

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Deloitte & Touche USA LLP is the U.S. member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. In the U.S., services are provided by the subsidiaries of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, Deloitte Tax LLP and their subsidiaries), and not by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.