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What will be the most popular items that shoppers buy this coming Thanksgiving weekend? Food and drink specifically for gifts, followed closely by electronics, according to ICSC Research, which is tracking what people are buying that weekend, where they are buying it and how much they will be spending. Eighty-two percent of the shoppers will be buying food and beverage gifts, followed by electronics (79 percent), apparel and/or footwear (77 percent) , toys and games (75 percent), and home goods/housewares (73 percent).
Gift cards are a popular item too: 71 percent of shoppers out for the extended Thanksgiving weekend will get at least one. Cosmetics and fragrances are less of a priority, as is jewelry: These categories will attract 58 percent and 47 percent of shoppers, respectively.
Physical stores are by far the preferred source for all these categories. Of those buying food and beverages for gifts, 85 percent will do so from a brick-and-mortar store, as will 71 percent of those purchasing gift cards. Among jewelry buyers, 68 percent will get it from stores, as will 67 percent of those buying apparel and footwear, and cosmetics and fragrances. Sixty-six percent of the shoppers buying home goods/housewares will use physical stores, while 55 percent of toy-and-game buyers and 53 percent of those buying electronics will do so.
“Of those buying food and beverages for gifts, 85 percent will do so from a brick-and-mortar store, as will 71 percent of those purchasing gift cards. ”
The portion of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers buying merchandise at pure-play e-tailers is significantly lower, the report shows. About one-fifth (22 percent) of electronics shoppers said they will use e-tailers for this merchandise, making this the largest segment in this regard. Twenty percent of toy-and-game shoppers will be using e-tailers, while 14 percent of the home goods/housewares and jewelry shoppers will. Of those buying gift cards and apparel or footwear, 11 percent will be going to an e-tailer, while 10 percent of cosmetics-and-fragrance shoppers said they do so, and just 4 percent of food-and-beverage buyers will use e-tailers.
Three-fifths (63 percent) of all merchandise purchased during the Thanksgiving weekend will be earmarked for gifts.More than one-third of items will not be bought specifically as gifts, suggesting that the purchases may have been delayed to capitalize on promotions during the four-day period , the report says.
“Despite all the hype about pure-play e-tail,” said Jean Lambert, vice president of ICSC Research, “it’s going to be another busy Thanksgiving weekend at the shops this year.”
The full report may be accessed here.
By Edmund Mander
Director, Editor-In-Chief/SCT
