2014 Ultimate Holiday Shopping Guide

Your Ultimate Holiday Shopping Guide Once the turkey settles, holiday shopping season officially begins. This year, shoppers can expect more than 40,000 deals between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and retailers are expecting November and December sales to top $616.9 billion. Thanksgiving Nov 27 Earlier openings and increased technology have heavily influenced trends in recent years. Note these tips for making the most of the season. Thanksgiving Day Shopping Best Deals for Consumers $2.6B IN-STORE %24 $766M ONLINE $192M MOBILE ANDROID SMARTPHONES TELEVISIONS Get Your Game On Thanksgiving Day has 229% more gaming deals than on Cyber Monday. BLU-RAY PLAYERS Black Friday Nov 28 Black Friday Shopping Best Deals for Consumers $9.8B IN-STORE $1.9 ONLINE $238M MOBILE LAPTOPS With Black Friday known for long lines and camping out for deals, shoppers are turning to mobile gadgets to reap additional rewards. %24 Mobile device sales grew more than 40% from Black Friday in 2012, with tablet users DATA STORAGE DEVICES spending nearly $133 per order – 15% more than smartphone shoppers. 40% KITCHENWARE & APPLIANCES Small Business Saturday 29 Nov Launched in 2010, Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to shop at local, independently owned businesses in their communities. Small Business Saturday Sales Shop Small Why do consumers shop at small businesses? $5.7 BILLION of purchase profits stay 52% in the community. The amount spent last year by consumers who were aware of Small Business Saturday. get unique products 23% they can't find Make the Most of the Day anywhere else. Look Online Shoppers can see which stores in OPEN their community are participating seek more 22% in Small Business Saturday at affordable prices. ShopSmall.com. "Black" Sunday Nov 30 Black Sunday Sales Shopped Out? Visit other small businesses. $3.72 BILLION in 2013 DINE OUT HIT THE SALON Today's Window Browsers GET YOUR CAR GRAB DRINKS WASHED WITH FRIENDS In-store traffic fell by 50% in the 2013 holiday season, and shoppers now only visit about 3 stores compared to 5 in 2007. With no time to waste, consumers are checking online before hitting the stores. GET YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE Dec Cyber Monday 01 Cyber Monday Sales Best Deals for Consumers ONLINE: $1.735 BILLION Clothing and shoe deals are about 50% better than on MOBILE: $295 MILLION Thanksgiving or Black Friday. %24 19.7% of all online traffic came Sales on this day from smartphones. grew 20% in 2013. 11.5% came from tablets. 2013: The Year Your Gift Didn't Arrive 15% (70% O/ CC of all e-commerce holiday of Americans plan to pay now say that shipping options purchases arrived after more attention to shipping are an important factor in December 25. options this year. their shopping experience. Dec #GivingTuesday 02 Launched in 2012 by New York's 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, #GivingTuesday uses social media to encourage charitable donations. Make the Most of the Day Since its inception, the movement has engaged more than 10,000 organizations across the globe. #GivingTuesday has reached more than: 2 billion Twitter users @GivingTues #Giving Tuesday #Unselfie F 300 million Facebook users Average donation per person: Look for causes that will $142.05 in 2013 double your impact. This #GivingTuesday, donations made to UNICEF's efforts to combat Ebola will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Formulate a Post-Turkey Game Plan Shoppers should plan ahead to maximize the holiday shopping experience. 1. Do Your Research. 50% of in-store retail sales are influenced by online browsing. Note time-specific deals, and plan your outings before braving the crowds. 2. Become a VIP. By using deal and offer websites, U.S. shoppers can save more than $5 billion. Visit price-comparison sites and download apps to ensure you get the best deals available. 3. Get Tech Savvy. Many retailers offer advance ads to their email subscribers and early doorbuster access to their card members. Merchant Warehouse Sources: FatWallet, National Retail Federation, ShopperTrak, CNN, Deal News, American Express, Business Wire, Bloomberg, #GivingTuesday, Deloitte, IBM, Forbes, Business News Daily