Holiday Season Spending Facts and Trends from DealTaker.com

Although consumers are spending more, they're still hungry for good deals

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Dec 13, 2011, 10:30 ET

DALLAS, Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Research Federation's (NRF) 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, holiday shoppers expect to spend an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise. At the same time, web sites catering to coupons and deals saw 38% more visits in November over last year. These shoppers want to find a good deal on all the items on their wish lists, and they expect to find them quickly.

Thus far, the use of online resources and mobile devices has provided consumers with a greater ability to comparison shop and identify which store has the best price before they even head out the door. Additionally, consumers are increasingly buying their holiday goods online. Case in point, comScore reports that Cyber Monday 2011 was the heaviest online spending day on record at $1.25 billion.

"Even though online holiday shopping is up 15% this year, the Great Recession taught consumers that a great deal can always be had," says Michelle Strong, President of the premier online savings hub DealTaker.com. "Armed with informative discount shopping sites and new deal mobile applications, shoppers are able to stretch their budgets to get the most out of their holiday dollars."

So the question remains, whether online or in a store, where are shoppers spending their money? Here are a few facts and trends for this holiday season:

Gift cards, such as American Express, iTunes, Target and more are expected to be the number one gift this year. They provide the recipient with the ability to buy whatever he or she really wants and the gift giver an easy out on finding that "perfect" gift.
Consumer electronics are still high on everyone's list. The new Kindle Fire and iPad are big for adults, while many kids are asking for an iPod or an iTouch in addition to the usual games and gaming systems.
Americans will purchase approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees and 17 million artificial trees during the holiday season, which you can now purchase online and have shipped for free to your front door.
Despite a growing number of people sending electronic holiday cards, American families still mail an average of 28 cards each year, many of which are ordered online through stores like Christmas Cards Direct, Minted, and The Gallery Collection.
$220 million worth of poinsettias are sold during the holiday season and represent over 85% of the potted plant sales during the same time period.
Nearly 2 billion candy canes will be sold world-wide in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.
For those needing to ship their holiday gifts, the United States Postal Service expects to handle 16.5 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, while FedEx expects to handle 260 packages during the same period.

About DealTaker.com

Founded in Plano, Texas in 2004, DealTaker.com is the premier destination for consumers looking to spend less and get more. A free coupon site for shoppers to find and share deals, DealTaker.com brings together over 20,000 offers from over 3,300 stores to help shoppers save on merchandise and services, including food, travel, electronics, home furnishings, jewelry and pet supplies and more.