2. Plenty of Toy-Shopping Alternatives
With the demise of Toys ‘R’ Us, consumers will be scrambling to find other sources and, according to a September 2018 Field Agent survey, 40% said Walmart would be their top source, followed closely by Amazon, 34%, and then Target, at 21%.
Of the 755 shoppers surveyed who purchased at least one toy at Toys ‘R’ Us during the holiday season, 67% said its closure won’t influence the amount they plan to spend for Christmas 2018 toys, although 23% said it may cause them to spend less.
More than 50% said they would spend approximately the same for toys during their holiday shopping, but 33% said they would be spending more online this year, although the closure of Toys ‘R’ Us may only be a minor driver.

3. Santa’s Sleigh Will Be Overflowing with Tech Gifts…Again
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) forecasts a total of $96.1 billion to be spent for tech gifts during the 2018 holiday season, or a 3.4% increase from 2017.
The 164 million US adults who said they plan to purchase a tech gift during the holidays will spend an average of $464 and 139 million will purchase the tech gift for an adult, and 103 million for a child.
83% will make those purchases during November and December and 77% will buy tech gifts from brick-and-mortar stores, a two-percentage-point decrease from while 52% will buy online, a seven- percentage-point decrease from 2017.

4. Expect More Spending on Clothing and Accessories
According to Coresight Research’s US holiday report on apparel, the introduction of many new fashion trends is expected to increase apparel gift purchases as well as consumers purchasing for themselves.
Some of those new trends include a shift towards a “macro” look, which would require a significant update to most people’s entire wardrobe; more intense colors; and creating more luxurious looks for casual attire with velvet, brocades and silks.
Coresight Research also thinks the winter weather forecast will influence holiday apparel purchases. For example, a colder forecast across the Southern Tier and Intermountain West is expected to increase jacket, gloves and sweater purchases.

5. Grand Grub Gatherings
According to Accenture research, 35% of consumers plan to host more 2018 holiday gatherings, with 62% of Young Millennials (21–27) hosting a Thanksgiving meal, and 60% a Christmas meal/party.
The Accenture survey also found many consumers will be spending more for higher- quality holiday groceries: 54% will be shopping at a high-quality retailer and 48% are likely to buy premium brands.
As is often the case, convenience and location are primary drivers of where 69% of consumers said they will shop for holiday groceries, but almost an equal percentage prefer store pick-up or delivery, at 49% and 41%, respectively.

6. In-Store Is Still Where Most Gift Cards Are Purchased
Based on 2017 holiday gift-card purchase data, consumers are very likely to repeat that performance, as 49% of US Internet users had planned to purchase gift cards as a holiday gift, which was first, tied with clothing.
Even a higher percentage, or 61%, of US Internet users wanted to receive a gift card as a 2017 holiday gift, which propelled gift cards to the top of the list, compared to 55% for clothing and accessories.
The increasing use of the digital channel among consumers hasn’t had much effect on where they purchase gift cards, as a Packaged Facts study found 71% of them were purchased in a store during the past 12 months.

7. Advertising Strategies
Suggest retailers who are not traditional toy stores to consider creating a toy display to grab even a small share of the market from the Toys ‘R’ Us closure. This small inventory could even be loss leaders to generate more sales of what the retailer typically offers.
Local, independent food retailers have an opportunity to generate more sales by offering more high-quality items at higher price points, premium brands, local farmers’ seasonal products and items for specialty diets to attract specific target audiences.
Local retailers, especially during Small Business Saturday and those who are known for their crafting and specialty food selections, can promote experiential gifts as alternatives to the standard gifts their national-chain rivals will be offering.

8. New Media Strategies
Since most holiday gift cards are purchased in-store, retailers can promote them via social media and other digital channels, offering a discount for a qualifying purchase of other merchandise when consumers visit the store to buy gift cards.
Use the information in the Profiler to create an online “survey/poll” and ask customers and local consumers via and/or social media to reveal what gift they would like to receive, and why.
To maximize the promotion of high-quality holiday food items, premium brands, etc., find and share recipes for these items as part of a social media campaign, with new recipes posted every other day from prior to Thanksgiving to prior to New Year’s Day.