Consumers in a Cautious Holiday Mood, The Conference Board Reports

U.S. Households Plan to Spend an Average of $384 this Season, About the Same as Last Year

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Nov 23, 2010, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. households are expected to spend an average of $384 on Christmas gifts this holiday season, slightly less than last year's estimate of $390, The Conference Board reports today.

The survey of Christmas gift spending intentions covers a nationally representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households. It was conducted for The Conference Board in November by TNS, the world's largest custom research company.

"Consumers are approaching the holiday season in a somewhat cautious mood," says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "However, with retailers already enticing consumers with markdowns and bargains, this season could very well match, perhaps even surpass, last year's."

The top spenders will be New England households (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) who intend to spend an average of $473. Lowest Christmas spending will be in the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington) where consumers intend to spend $343 on Christmas gifts.

Only 25 percent of all households intend to spend $500 or more on Christmas gifts, down slightly from 26 percent last year. Among other households, 39 percent plan to spend $200-$500, up from 35 percent last year, and 37 percent are planning to spend less than $200, down from 39 percent in 2009.

ONLINE BUYING INTENTIONS

This year, 41 percent of all consumers say they will buy Christmas gifts on the Internet. Books top the list of online Christmas buying, with 40 percent saying they will buy books as gifts. Toys/games came in second with 38 percent of consumers intending to purchase these gifts online. Apparel and footwear rank third as online Christmas buying choices, followed by movie videos and DVDs.

Of the 42 percent who said they purchased Christmas gifts last year on the Internet, 94 percent said they were satisfied with their online buying experience.

US REGIONS:

New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania

East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin

West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee

West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas

Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

Source: The Conference Board Christmas Spending Survey, November 2010

www.conference-board.org