With the turkey leftovers a distant memory and orange and brown now replaced with red and green, the 2015 holiday season is officially in full swing. Holiday music is playing, the lights are strung, and that pesky elf is making mischief. Amid all of that, shoppers are looking to score big deals and rack up savings. While Black Friday signaled the official start of the winter shopping frenzy, some shoppers skipped the pumpkin pie and got a head start right on Thanksgiving.
Data from Edison Research and Oracle Marketing Cloud about 2014 holiday shopping focuses on the brick and mortar, showing that 27% of people shopped in a physical retail store on Thanksgiving and 35% did so on Black Friday. Updated 2015 holiday shopping data from Edison Research and Oracle Marketing Cloud will be released in early 2016 after the conclusion of the holiday season.
Taking into account both physical and online shopping for the kickoff to the 2015 holiday season, The International Council of Shopping Centers has released the Thanksgiving/Black Friday Shopping Report. With multiple shopping options like online and click-to-collect factored in along with physical shopping, the numbers are higher. According to the report, 36% of Americans shopped on Thanksgiving and 50% made purchases on Black Friday. These higher data points hint at the power of online shopping and the mobile platform this year.
The trips to the stores and the adds to cart will continue for weeks to come, but shopping on those early days is a different experience and it brings out the shopping warrior in those who choose to capitalize. Shoppers who are all in on Black Friday and even on Thanksgiving are likely to be those people who enjoy the thrill of a deal. They like the challenge and they accept it willingly. They excel at comparing prices, storing coupons and finalizing their game plan, all while navigating shopping platforms both online and in store.
It’s a good bet that moms were part of that camp, based on data from The Research Moms. The research shows that moms are very positive toward holiday shopping, with two thirds (66%) saying they love it. Another 24% said they shop because they have to and just 8% said it is the worst part of the season. A small group, (2%) said they don’t give gifts.
These busy moms don’t shy away from finding deals, they shop to save. Among moms who purchase gifts during the holidays, more than half (55%) said they shop any time, day or night if the price is right. Slightly less ambitious but still on the lookout for savings, 41% will put effort into finding deals but prefer to avoid the busiest shopping times. Only 4% of moms buy what they need and don’t worry about finding the best deal while holiday shopping.
How the study was conducted:
The Research Moms conducted a national online survey of 540 mothers with children age 21 and under.
