According to the National Retail Federation, shopping trends for this year’s holiday season are encouraging for retailers. Although shoppers aren’t ready to declare an end to the recession, sales are expected to exceed last year’s numbers by a small amount, up from an average of $681.83 to $688.87 per person.

What should you expect? Here are some of the trends to look for: 

•  Customers will focus less on basic necessities. There won’t be a huge return to the impulse buying of the mid-2000’s, but the pendulum is slowly swinging back. Buyers will spend more on discretionary items, such as jewelry.
• Service with a smile is still high on the list of factors consumers consider when choosing a store for their purchases. Surprisingly, younger adults 18-24 are twice as likely as other adults to make this a priority.
•  Price is not the only factor; value ranks higher. Buying decisions will reflect this more in 2010 than in the past two years.
•  Non-gift purchases, especially during holiday sales, are expected to increase up to 8% this year. “Just for me” and impulse buying, especially by young adults, is predicted.
•  The biggest spenders will be online shoppers. People who shop online will spend 24.6 percent more than average adults.
•  More than one-fourth of Americans who have a smartphone will use their mobile device to shop for gifts by comparing prices, researching products, and reading reviews. This illustrates that the mobile trend is not going away soon!

CounterPoint can assist you in taking advantage of these holiday trends to increase your bottom line. Are you set up with the features that will help you with Inventory.  

• Fast Check-Outs,
• Gift Card Purchases,
• Credit Card Processing,
• and Online Sales? 

Call us at 425-672-4806 or email us for more information on the CounterPoint Software Systems for Retailers..