ICSC Sees Holiday Sales Spiking 4.9%

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In its holiday report, the International Council of Shopping Centers said sales will climb 4.9 percent this year — driven by consumers shopping in stores and online. The ICSC also said a large number of shoppers will be using mobile devices inside stores this year.

“Our annual Holiday Shopping Intentions Survey once again shows that consumers are not only optimistic about the upcoming holiday season, but also continue to favor physical stores when shopping for gifts,” said Tom McGee, president and chief executive officer of ICSC. “Consumers expect convenience and experience when shopping which means that those retailers with a good omnichannel strategy will likely see success this holiday season.”

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The ICSC’s “Holiday Intentions Survey” has retail sales pegged rising to $832.3 billion with “the average adult” planning to spend about $683 on holiday-related items. This includes $496 specifically on gifts and $187 on “other holiday items.”

The survey results revealed the extent of the digital convergence between online and shopping in a physical store. Eighty-two percent of respondents will be using mobile devices in stores even as 87 percent of those polled said they were doing online product/brand/store research prior to walking into a store.

The survey also showed that 48 percent of consumers plan on using “click and collect” this holiday, which is also known as buy online, pick up in-store.

The survey found that 90 percent of shoppers will make purchases in a physical store, while 97 percent said they plan to “spend from retailers with a physical store presence.” And 69 percent of total expected spending will come from retail stores that “have a physical presence.”

In regard to timing, 84 percent of shoppers polled this year said they expect to shop in November and December, with 36 percent of respondents noting that their holiday shopping “will be done in November” and 40 percent saying it will be done in December.

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