Abstract
In this report, Mintel provides an array of data for understanding factors contributing to the status and future of the U.S. holiday market. Mintel analyzes each individual market to understand trends over the last six years. Mintel' s report on consumer holiday shopping attitudes and behavior, Holiday Shopping: The Consumer, will be published separately.
Although holiday spending can include goods ranging from food to automobiles, this report concentrates on the goods usually sold only during holiday seasons: decorations, gifts, confectionary and greeting cards. Holiday shopping translates to a wide spectrum of goods, from small, handcrafted artworks to high-ticketed luxury items. This report breaks down the types of goods that are most commonly purchased for each holiday.
Specifically, consumer expenditures for the following holidays are included in this report:
- New Year' s
- Valentine' s Day
- St. Patrick' s Day
- Easter
- Mother' s Day
- Memorial Day
- Father' s Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Hanukkah
- Christmas
- Kwanzaa
Specific insights include:
- The winter holiday season is responsible for 90% of the market, with Halloween showing the greatest rate increase in sales.
- Prepaid gift cards are helping transform the nature of holiday sales, demonstrating a strong desire for convenience and speed.
- Spending on holiday-related goods generates sales in a variety of categories and is strongly influenced by marketing and merchandising efforts.
- Online retail has caught up with holiday shopping. This report shows how Cyber Monday now rivals Black Friday for winter holiday sales, and how the Internet has affected traditional retail trends.
- Holiday shopping is a market driven by consumer emotions. Fond memories and traditions play an important role, which differentiates holiday shopping from traditional retail markets.
- The holiday market is now spread across the entire year as retailers are stocking seasonal items earlier. For instance, the winter holiday season now begins in early November, well before Black Friday. This report shows how that has affected holiday sales.
As defined in this report, holiday shopping includes consumer expenditures on holiday-specific items, including products such as seasonal home decorations and gifts. The definition also includes retail expenditures on food and drink, where available, for holiday-specific consumption. As each holiday is unique, the report covers seasonal items, such as costumes for Halloween.
Table of Contents
- Scopes and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Abbreviations & terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Executive Summary
- Snapshot of the market
- Seasons/holidays
- Product segments
- Principle factors driving the holiday shopping market
- What the future holds
- Market Drivers
- Key points
- Economy drives holiday spending
- Figure 1: Key economic indicators (GDP, PDI, savings, unemployment), 2001-06
- The role of disposable income
- Figure 2: Distribution of U.S. households, by income, 1999 and 2004
- Figure 3: Number of married and single U.S. households with children, by age, income, and race/ethnicity, 2005
- The impact of population trends
- Figure 4: Population, by age, 2002-12
- Figure 5: Generations, 2002-12
- Households with children
- Figure 6: Households with children under age 18 present, 2001-06
- Figure 7: U.S. children and teen population and projections, 2001-11
- Hispanic consumers and holiday consumption
- Figure 8: Population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2002-12
- Figure 9: U.S. purchasing power, by race/Hispanic origin, 1990-2007
- Retailer dynamics influence holiday consumption
- Overview
- Figure 10: Percentage of U.S. annual sales for leading retail sectors, by month, 2004
- Retailers promote "seasonal" all year long
- Holiday timing
- Seasonal merchandising between major holidays
- Figure 11: FDM manufacturer brand sales of seasonal candy in the U.S., 2003 and 2005
- Online retail essential component of holiday shopping
- Figure 12: U.S. broadband household projections, 2000-10
- Figure 13: E-commerce spending summary, non-travel (retail) spending, 2005 and 2006
- Figure 14: Top gaining online retail categories by visitors, December 2006
- Marketing efforts influence consumer behavior
- Prepaid gift cards stress consumer loyalty, efficiency
- Figure 15: Five-year tracking of U.S. consumers' year-round gift card purchases and use, 2001-05
- Holiday shopping trends
- Women target market for seasonal cards
- Figure 16: Frequency of greeting card purchase, by gender, December 2004
- Figure 17: Frequency of greeting card purchase, by age, December 2004
- Boomers seek cards for milestone occasions
- Figure 18: Sales of seasonal cards, by occasion, 1999-2004
- Passion for traditions
- Religious, culture drive holiday market
- Figure 19: Religious preference, church membership and attendance, 1980-2002
- Post-holiday shopping and holidays as promotional kick-offs
- Market Size and Trends
- Key points
- Market size
- Holiday sales, by holiday
- Overview
- Figure 20: Sales of holiday products, by holiday, 2004 and 2006
- Winter holiday
- Figure 21: Winter holiday season shopping expenditures, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
- Figure 22: Winter holiday retail sales compared to annual retail industry sales, 1994-2005
- Holiday participation
- Figure 23: Holiday participation, by incidence of participation and spending, January 2005
- Figure 24: Graph: Holiday participation, by incidence of participation and spending, top seven, January 2005
- Holiday Spending by Category
- Key points
- Figure 25: Sales of select holiday shopping products, segmented by product type, 2004 and 2006
- Gifts
- Figure 26: Sales of holiday gifts, 2002-06
- Gift buying cycle: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Gift cards reach all-time high
- The rise of regifting
- Self-giving
- Confectionery
- Figure 27: Sales of holiday candy, 2001-06*
- Leading confectionery holidays
- Premium chocolates
- Figure 28: Total U.S. retail sales of premium chocolate, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
- Seasonal decorations
- Christmas decorations
- Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations
- Independence Day decorations
- The sudden popularity of inflatables
- Greeting cards
- Figure 29: Sales of seasonal cards, by holiday, 2001-06
- E-cards
- Holiday Shopping by Occasion
- Key points
- Overview
- New Year' s
- Valentine' s Day
- St. Patrick' s Day
- Easter
- Mother' s Day
- Memorial Day
- Father' s Day
- Independence Day
- Figure 30: Sales of Independence Day fireworks, 2001-06
- Labor Day
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Hanukkah
- Christmas
- Figure 31: Sales of Christmas trees--real and artificial, 2002-05
- Kwanzaa
- Market Forecast
- Holiday shopping market
- Figure 32: Forecast of total value of U.S. consumer holiday season shopping expenditures, at current and constant prices, 2006-11
- Gifts
- Figure 33: Forecast of U.S. sales of holiday gifts, at current and constant prices, 2006-11
- Confectionery (holiday candy)
- Figure 34: Forecast of U.S. sales of holiday candy, at current and constant prices, 2006-11
- Greeting cards
- Figure 35: Forecast of U.S. sales of seasonal cards, at current and constant prices, 2006-11
- Forecast factors
- Appendix: Trade Associations
