Factoids

Back to news

Britt Beemer America's Research Group articles most recent first Beemer Predicts Retail Train Wreck Consumers Postponing Major Purchases; Jewelry Hardest Hit Furniture Buying Index Falls in May Consumers Shift Spending To What They Need, Not What They Want Furniture Buying Index Drops Two More Points; Wal Mart Expands Home Furnishings In Midst of Sluggish Furniture Sales Beemer - Many Retailers In Free Fall After Disappointing December August Retail Sales Surge; Home Furnishings, Accessories Lag behind Expert Predicts Back-to-School Spending to Grow Meagerly in 2007 Retail Shopping Takes A Holiday Early Indications Are For A Frugal First Quarter Independent Retailers Outperformed Chain Stores In December Britt Beemer Lowers Forecast of Christmas Retail Sales to 2.7% Rise Over Last Year; Lack of “Must Have” Item to Blame Want To Drive Shoppers Away? Decorate Stores Less and Don’t Say “Merry Christmas” 2006 Q4 Shoppers Study Revealing; Cyber Monday a Hoax, Biggest Retail Push Will Be After December 15th 10 Trends For Retail Christmas 2006 Survey; Parents Cite High Gas Prices As Primary Reason For Limiting Back To School Spending Families Reduce Summer Spending As Gas Prices Rise Or Was It? New Survey Casts Doubt On Rosie Black Friday Survey; Bargain Hunters Drive June Results Top 10 Retail Stores For April; Discounts Drive Traffic Survey Says Americans Extremely Optimist About The Future 37% Of Shoppers Noticed Less Christmas Decorations In Stores; Spent Less As A Result America’s Research Group; Shopping Levels Increasing But Still Expected To Be Lackluster 3.2% Over 2003 Lack Of Hot New Product Weighing Heavily On Holiday Shopping Survey Of Thanksgiving Weekend Shoppers; "We're Not Impressed"; 45% Say Discounts Not Enough Britt Beemer’s Christmas 2004 Sales Forecast; 19% Will Spend More Since Bush Was Reelected Seven Things Your Store’s Appearance Tells Your Customers Britt Beemer Cites Convenience As Key To Drawing Male Shoppers Beemer Lowers Christmas Sales Projection to 4.2% Increase This Year Compared To His Earlier 4.8% Sales Increase survey 31.0% of Americans Who Planned to Shop Thanksgiving Weekend Did Not Get Around To It Study Shows 11% Increase In Consumer Spending For Appliance, Electronics, Computers Britt Beemer Predicts 4.8% Increase In Holiday Spending survey Furniture Leads All Categories For Shopping Levels Over Labor Day Weekend survey Consumers Plan to Spend 10% More on Back to School Furniture Buying Index Up One Point Buying furniture is on consumers’ minds, but not a top priority Shopping Is Not a Big Priority for Many Americans The Incredible Shrinking Customer Base How Loyal is Your Customer? The Loyalty American Consumers Have Towards Brand Products

The lack of a ‘must-have’ item for Christmas and the lackluster way retailers have approached the Christmas season this year compels me to lower my Christmas retail forecast for only the fourth time in 20 years.
C. Britt Beemer, CEO and founder, America's Research Group

Based on the findings of his company’s new research survey of Christmas shoppers this weekend, C. Britt Beemer, CEO and founder of America's Research Group (ARG) lowered his forecast of Christmas retail comp sales to 2.7% above last year’s level from 3.1%, which he predicted in mid November.

“The lack of a ‘must-have’ item for Christmas and the lackluster way retailers have approached the Christmas season this year compels me to lower my Christmas retail forecast for only the fourth time in 20 years,” Beemer says. “Shoppers are just not seeing the excitement at the stores,” he added.

“Retailers should not expect that an extra shopping day this year will save them, because only 36.6% of shoppers said they expect to shop on December 24th,” Beemer says, “and half of those respondents sounded very unsure of themselves.” The newest ARG research highlighted some shifts in shoppers’ behavior:

1. Toys, electronics and jewelry are the only bright spots this Christmas. Toys rank #1 with 34.3% buying toys so far this season compared to 31.9% at the same point last year. Electronics have surged this year with 24.2% buying them compared to only 16.9% last year. Jewelry sales are up 16.1% this Christmas season from 13.9% last year.

2. About 40% of consumers (39.6%) shopped at Wal-Mart compared to 43.2% last year, 17.4% shopped at Target compared to 12.3% last year, 15.7% shopped at Best Buy compared to 11.6% last year, 14.2% shopped at Toys R Us compared to 12.8% last year and 17.6% shopped at JCPenney compared to 16.4% last year.

3. Lower store staffing levels have driven over one fifth of shoppers (22.6%) away from stores compared to 20.9% last year.

4. Shoppers are not happy with the discounts being offered with 25.0% feeling the savings and discounts offered are less compared to last year. A year ago 20.1% felt the offers were less compared to 2004.

5. Gift card buying is at an all-time high with 49.4% having already bought them and 38.8% of those who have not purchased gift cards plan to this Christmas season.

6. If shoppers don’t see 50% off this season, nearly 40% will either buy fewer gifts, buy less expensive gifts or will buy gift cards.

7. The number of shoppers this weekend was at 59.0%, barely beating out last year’s figure of 57.1%.

8. Nearly one in three consumers (30.9%) feel stores are less decorated this Christmas, 23.9% have noticed that stores are playing less Christmas music this year, and 67.1% believe store employee morale improves when Christmas music is being played in the store.

ARG surveyors interviewed 800 adults between Saturday and Sunday, December 9-10, 2006. The study has an error factor of plus or minus 4.3%. ARG will conduct one more Christmas retail survey.