Consumers in Decent Holiday Spirits

U.S. Households Plan to Spend an Average of $498 this Season on Holiday Gifts

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Nov 07, 2013, 12:00 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. households plan to spend an average of $498 on gifts this holiday season, down from $521 last year, The Conference Board reports today. About 10 percent of consumers plan to spend more this year on holiday gifts – slightly less than last year, but up from 2011. Approximately 32 percent plan to spend less than last year, about the same as 2012, but down considerably from nearly 40 percent two years ago.

The survey of holiday gift spending intentions, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The survey was conducted for The Conference Board in October as part of the Consumer Confidence Survey®.

"Despite the recent government shutdown and debt crisis, consumers are in relatively good spirits as the holiday season approaches," said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. "And, in keeping with holiday trends, consumers will be seeking bargains and incentives, and an increasing number say they plan to shop online this season."

About one-third of holiday shoppers say they expect more than half of their purchases to be on sale or discounted. An increasing number of consumers will be clicking and shipping. Nearly 70 percent expect to purchase a portion of their holiday gifts online. About 22 percent say more than half of their gifts will be purchased online.

Source: The Conference Board Holiday Spending Survey, October 2013

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

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