Holiday Shopping Trends 2011

With thanksgiving celebrations held last week, I am sure you would have spent the following 'Black Friday' shopping for the best deals that the retailers offered you all across the shopping arena. I know, I know, Black Friday also means extremely busy streets, crowded shops, and temptation to buy what is not necessary! Which is why, we also had Cyber Monday for those who wanted to avoid the unnecessary crowd and unwanted extra spending, and sit in the luxury of their homes and shop online for the best prices that the web retailers had to offer.

According to the Washington Post, the online sales on Black Friday went up by 26% this year, whereas the retail sales showed an increase of 7%. Even on Thanksgiving, there was an 18% increase in the online sales as compared to last year. Speaking of Cyber Monday, the sales went up by almost 33% in comparison to last year. Though I'm sure that all of you might have done most of your shopping by now, think again, have you missed something? A gift for a loved one, or something for yourself?

Though most of the sales and shopping offers have gone by with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, remember that Christmas hasn't arrived yet, and retailers are still welcoming buyers with open arms, or should I say, good discounts? For those who have not shopped to their heart's desire and still want to look what the holiday sales have to offer, this article highlights the significant holiday shopping trends that we are noticing in 2011. Keep reading.

Trends in Holiday Shopping 2011

Recession Continues to Affects the Shopaholics
Yes, recession is still influencing the spending habits of the Americans. According to consumer research, many Americans are apprehensive about spending money for holiday shopping and plan do the same in a controlled manner. This is one of the unchanged holiday shopping trends that we have been noticing since the past few years, and that continues this year as well, as consumer sentiments and their spending plans are still affected by recession. However to our surprise, we have seen a tremendous rise in sales this year as compared to 2010, and yes, this was well predicted even before these sales occurred! So this year I would say, though the economy still faces recession, the smart consumers know how to get what they 'need' and not what they 'want' through effective planning and research.

The Smart Shoppers of 2011
Though people are spending wisely, it doesn't mean they have become boring. They are spending on things that makes them feel good. Things like, gift cards, fancy clothes, jewelry, personal care products, and cosmetics are very much in demand, as found in the consumer survey. Both men and women plan to purchase more practical goods such as, sporting equipment, laptops, smartphones, tablets, e-books, digital cameras, video game consoles, etc., which have significant utility value. They are not likely to spend on unnecessary things that have no or less value. Not only this, studies reveal that the smart shoppers of 2011 started doing their pre-shopping research from October itself. Which means that there was plenty of time to check out the varied options, prices, stocks, and discount deals that the market had to, or still has to offer.

Using Smartphones for Smarter Deals!
The Washington Post states that this year, there was a visible increase in mobile shopping, which was 7.37% of the online sales as compared to the last year's 2.25%. It was also noted that most of the mobile shoppers used Apple iPhones and iPads to shop. These devices were followed by Android. Not only this, these smartphones were also used for researching and finding better deals using applications like QR/UPC code scanning, mobile payments, in-store price comparisons, and other shopping applications. For those of you who do not have a smartphone to avail these benefits, you would be happy to know that this year, the sales of smartphones has increased, especially the iPhone, iPads, and Androids..., which means that the market has some good prices to offer when it comes to purchasing these gadgets.

The Fast, Convenient, and Profitable Online Shopping
One of the biggest holiday shopping trends 2011 is Internet shopping. The surveys have revealed that many people preferred Cyber Monday over Black Friday just to avoid the crowd. I have already stated the recent statistics wherein there was a 7% rise in Black Friday sales which was nothing as compared to the whooping 33% in online sales on Cyber Monday with 123 million Americans shopping online. Now that's a HUGE number! Consumers can get a better deal and can get exactly what they want on the web. So, it is wiser to buy from online stores instead of going to the shopping all the way, where you may not get what you want.

Though most of the consumers have shopped early this year, there are still a lot of deals available in the market. Though you might not get the heavy discounts like you do on Black Friday and Cyber Mondays, you can still go in for some online shopping deals that the retail market still has to offer. Consumers this year, have stuck to their budgets and have shopped according to what they need. This trend was also observed last year and it continues to rule the minds of the consumers this year as well. Now, that you know what trends are catching up this holiday season in the market, let me give you some important holiday shopping tips that would help you spend wisely this holiday - that is if you haven't finished shopping yet. These are mentioned as follows.

Holiday Shopping Tips

• Plan a budget for shopping and stick to it.
• Shop for your needs and not your wants.
• Do not compete with your friends or neighbors when it comes to shopping.
• Try to buy everything online if possible. It will save you a lot of money and energy as well.
• Stay away from credit card stores and use cash for shopping. Believe me, you will spend less.
• Avoid buying anything on an impulse. Check if you really need what you're buying.
• Do not fall prey to marketing and advertising gimmicks.
• Lastly, consider savings as a gift. It's the need of the hour.

For more tips, safe online shopping tips can be a resourceful read for you. Remember that celebration is not only about splurging money and purchasing luxuries, it's about cherishing auspicious moments with your loved ones and creating some precious memories, and for that, you don't need cash. Have a happy holiday season!