2017 holiday survey: An annual analysis of the peak shopping season

2017 holiday survey
Retail in transition

Economic outlook
& holiday spending

2017 holiday surveyCopyright © 2017 Deloitte LLP. All rights reserved. 3
Holiday shopping season accounts for more than one-quarter of
the annual US retail sales
Holiday season is the biggest shopping season and involves…
>$1 Trillion retail sales
1/4 of annual retail sales**
126 Million households
>$110 Billion online sales
2017 retail holiday sales expected to rise by 4–4.5 percent over last year*
**According to US census, 2016/17 annual retail sales were $3.7 trillion. Deloitte estimates $1 trillion would be ~1/4 annual retail sales.
*According to Deloitte’s 2017 holiday season forecast, published September 20, 2017.

82%
66%
64%
67%
71%
68%
71%
59%
41%
51%
62%
59%
63%
71% 69%
75% 74%
79%
18%
34%
36%
33%
29%
32%
29%
41%
59%
49%
38%
42%
37%
29% 31%
25% 26%
21%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Spend more/same Spend less
Recession
“How will your total holiday spending compare with last year's holiday season? Please consider all holiday gifts, holiday entertainment/socializing, holiday
decorations, holiday donations, etc.”
Almost 80% of consumers expect to spend the same or more this holiday season
Holiday spending expectations continue to rise
Compared to Last Holiday Season…

Current Household Financial Situation
15%
24%
21%
28% 29%
31%
33%
36% 37%
41%
42%
37%
37%
40% 41% 41%
39%
44%44%
34%
42%
35% 30%
29%
26% 25%
19%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
A lot/somewhat better The same A lot/somewhat worse
More households perceive their financial situation as the same or better (81%)
and fewer perceive their financial situation as worse (19%)
Stronger household finances improve spending sentiment
“Thinking about your household's current financial situation, would you say it is...”

Gifts only represent one third of average holiday spend
Anticipated average spend (2017): $1,226
Non-gift categories – like socializing, entertaining and clothing for oneself –
comprise the bulk of non-gift seasonal spending
₴ Actual products not gift cards.
* Socializing & entertainment
◊2016 average gift spend ($426/-1% less)
Gift vs. non-gift spendCategory spend
$317
$113
$308
$172
$91
$133
$90
Gifts₴
Gift Cards
Socializing outside
home
Entertaining at
home
Home furnishings
Non-gift clothing
Other (Misc.)
$430
$314
$480
Gifts Non-Gift Experience

Holiday shopping:
What, where and when?

22.0
23.1
21.5
18.2
16.8
14.7
12.8 12.9 13.4 13.7 13.9
14.7
0
5
10
15
20
25
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
“In total, what is the number of gifts, including gift certificates/cards that you expect to buy this holiday season?”
On average, consumers plan to purchase nearly 15 gifts
The number of gifts shoppers purchase has remained relatively
flat since 2011
Number of Gifts Purchased

27% I prefer to buy gifts that are an experience (e.g., concert/show,
vacation, restaurant, etc.) for the recipient
24% I plan to host or attend more holiday events with
friends and/or family than participate in traditional gift
exchange
Roughly one quarter of shoppers plan experiences or entertaining
in lieu of traditional gifts
“Using a scale of 1 through 5, where 1 means you "Very much disagree" and 5 means you "Very much agree", please state how much you agree with each of the
following statements.”

51%
49%
47% 49%
35%
40%
29%
39%
27%
33%34%
36%
23% 24%
18%
29%
18%
26%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Clothing
Gift cards or gift certificates
Electronics (net)*
Books
Games, Toys, Dolls, etc.
Food/Liquor
Money (Cash or check)
Jewelry
Electronics and games & toys rise in popularity and luxury categories continue
to climb
Clothing and gift cards tie for the top gift giving spot
Cosmetics/fragrances/
health & beauty aids
“Which of the following types of gifts do you plan to buy this holiday season? And which of the following gifts would you like to receive this holiday season?”
*Games, Toys, Dolls, etc. (excluding computer games or video games)
Electronics (42%), gift cards (39%) and cash (36%) are the top gifts to receive

Percent of average anticipated gift spend
Source: Deloitte survey
Avg. spend is calculated only for the respondents who plan to purchase at least one item from the above mentioned categories
*Others include data plans, gift cards/gift certificates/money, tickets to events, and socializing experiences.
N=5085
Clothing &
Accessories
25%
Electronics &
Accessories
16%
Toys & Hobbies
18%
Home &
Kitchen
11%
Health &
Beauty
12%
Others
(misc.)
18%
Clothing consumes 25% of planned budget, with toys (18%) and
electronics (16%) rounding out 60% of shoppers’ total allocation

Give indulgent
gifts 53%
Prefer to buy gifts that are more likely to be
indulgences that people will not buy for
themselves
Shop for
themselves
Agree that they also buy gifts for themselves when
shopping for others
36%
40%
43%
50%
46%
50%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
More than half plan to spoil their recipients with indulgent gifts
Half of consumers shop for themselves while shopping for others

51%
44%
27% 28%
45%
55%
24%
21%
20%
20%
15%
19%
14%
18%
12%
16%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
“At which of the following retail sources or venues will you likely shop for holiday gifts?”
“How many individual shopping trips do you expect to take when purchasing holiday gifts over the next several months? (A "trip“ is defined as a single
outing to visit one or more physical stores.)”
Traditional Department Stores
Toy Stores
Off-Price Stores
Restaurants/Fast-Food
Home Improvement Stores
Specialty Clothing
Internet (including auction sites)
Outlet stores
Mass Merchants
(was Discount/Value pre-2017)
Internet sites and mass merchants remain top two destinations
Internet stores widen their lead
+5%
since 2016
-4%
since 2016
-2%
since 2016
-3%
since 2016
-1%
since 2016

Early
Before October/ October/
November, before
Thanksgiving Day/
Late November
Black Friday/ Weekend
after Thanksgiving/Cyber
Monday/Late November
December or Later
December/January
Nearly 40% of after-Christmas shoppers are buying non-holiday items
Most consumers complete their shopping after Thanksgiving
“By which one of these days or months do you expect to complete the majority of your holiday shopping this year?“
“Will any of your holiday shopping be after Christmas Day (December 25th)?”
“Thinking about all of the holiday shopping you will be doing this holiday season, what percentage of your total holiday shopping will be done after
Christmas Day - meaning December 26th through the 31st, or in January 2018?”
“When you shop this year after Christmas day, will you still be buying items for this 2017 Holiday season, or for the next 2018 Holiday season?”
20%
26%
54%
38%
35%
16%
12%
Buying for next
2018 season
Buying for both
seasons
Still buying for
this 2017 season
Neither, I am
taking advantage
of after-Holiday
sales for non-
holiday items
One in five shoppers will spend 23% of
budget after December 25th
When shoppers will complete
majority of shopping Among those who shop after
December 25th, reasons are:
80%

Shopping by age,
income & education
level

Higher income shopper segments ($100K+) are expected to
spend nearly double the market average
19%
31%
13%
5%
58%
59%
63%
53%
22%
10%
24%
41%
Overall <$50K $50K-$99K $100K+
Prefer not to answer
Graduate-Professional degree
Four-year degree
High school or less
Average holiday
spend $1,226 $598 $1,232 $2,226
Education level of respondents by household income group (%)
and anticipated 2017 holiday spend

Spending also varies with age, rising through the Baby Boomer
generation and then declining significantly among Seniors
$1,200
$1,223
$1,252
$1,274
$1,113
$1,226
GenZ Millennials GenXers Baby
Boomers
Seniors Overall
Holiday season spending by age group

GenXers and higher income households (>$100K) plan to make the most trips
Shoppers average 5.7 shopping trips during the season
5.5 5.5
6.2
5.7
<$50K $50K-$99K $100K+ Overall
Average shopping trips by income level
4.8
6.0 6.2
5.4
4.6
Average shopping trips by generation
“How many individual shopping trips do you expect to take when purchasing holiday gifts over the next several months?”

61%
58%
52%
48%
33%35%
38%
43% 46% 46%
4% 4% 5% 7%
22%
GenZ Millennials GenXers Baby
Boomers
Seniors
Percentage of budget spend by age group
Younger shoppers and higher income shoppers skew more online
Shoppers expect to spend more than half of their budget online
Online
51%In-store
42%
Others*
7%
Percentage of total holiday budget
*Others include Catalog or direct mail promotion
47%
52%
57%
44% 42%
39%
9%
6% 5%
<$50K $50K-$99K $100K+
Percentage of budget spend online by
household income
Online In-store Other
“What percentage of your total holiday budget do you expect to spend (online vs. in-store vs. other)?”

Internet leads among all income levels and age groups, but other
venue preferences vary by income and age
38%
43%
58%
32%
48%
56%
23%
42%
44%
Traditional department stores
Mass merchants
Internet/online only retailers
Mass merchants
Supermarkets or grocery stores
Mass merchants
$100K +
$50K - $100K
By household income By generationTop 3 formats
30%
35%
38%
33%
45%
50%
29%
51%
53%
26%
44%
54%
26%
27%
51%
Supermarkets or grocery stores
Mass merchants
Mass merchants
Mass merchants
Off-price stores
Mass merchants
Fast fashion apparel retailers
Mass merchants
Baby Boomers
Seniors
GenZ
Millennials
GenXers
<$50K
“At which of the following types of retailers will you likely shop for holiday gifts?”

Ability to interact with product, avoid shipping costs and find
inspiration top the list of reasons consumers shop in store
54% 51%
44%
59%
50%
44%
62%
49%
45%
Ability to interact with the product Avoid shipping costs Gives me gift ideas and inspiration
<$50K $50K-$99K $100K+
Reasons for selecting in-store over
online: By age group
GenZ Millennials GenXers
Baby
Boomers
Seniors
Ability to interact with the product 49% 52% 59% 63% 62%
Avoid shipping costs 72% 47% 49% 47% 57%
Gives me gift ideas and inspiration 29% 40% 43% 49% 51%
Easier to make returns later 23% 31% 33% 39% 55%
Need to acquire gifts immediately 42% 34% 33% 25% 31%
2 1
“What are the reasons you plan to shop in a physical retail store rather than online?”
Most selected reason
Second most selected reason
Third most selected reason
2 2 2
1 1 1
33 2
3
3
1
1
2
3
3
Reasons for selecting in-store over online: By household income

69%
63% 65%
74% 71% 71%
78% 80%
70%
Convenience - comfort of shopping
from home
Time saving Free shipping
<$50K $50K-$99K $100K+
Top 3 reasons GenZ Millennials GenXers
Baby
Boomers
Seniors
Convenience - comfort of shopping from home 66% 67% 76% 83% 77%
Time saving 64% 66% 74% 75% 74%
Free shipping 68% 61% 72% 74% 80%
Home delivery 48% 56% 71% 72% 77%
2 1
“What are the reasons you anticipate shopping online instead of in a physical store?”
Most selected reason
Second most selected reason
Third most selected reason
2 2
2
1 1
133
2
3
3
1
1
2
3
3
Reasons for selecting online over in-store: by income level
Convenience, time saving and free shipping top the list of
reasons consumers shop online

54%
39%
55%
64%
Overall High school or
less
Four-year
degree
Graduate-
Professional
degree
Customers preference for reviews on
independent websites (%)
Spend, device usage and web research skew with education level
High school or less 38% 28%
Four-year degree 55% 44%
Graduate-Professional
degree
64% 41%
Planned device usage for holiday shopping
1,226
765
1,159
1,812
Overall High school or
less
Four-year
degree
Graduate-
Professional
degree
Average holiday spend ($)
Consumers with graduate/professional degrees spend more on average ($1,812 vs.
$1,226) and research products before purchasing at a higher rate (64% vs. 54%)

Digital influence:
Use of online and mixed channels

Online pulls ahead as the destination for spend after reaching
parity in 2016
Online
Desktop/Laptop
Online
Mobile/Smartphone
2017
4%
3%
5%
42%In-store
Online
Tablet
“What percentage of your total holiday budget do you expect to spend...?
51%
Of dollars spent
Online
Catalog/Direct Mail
Other
%SpendingbyPurchasingMethod
10%+
36%+
Desktop/laptop is still the go-to method for online spending
42%
of dollars spent
In store
47% in 2016
47% in 2016

Key store attributes driving retail format preferences
(% very/extremely important)
Online is winning by outperforming in-store venues in five key
areas
31%
41%
62%
64%
64%
56%
57%
76%
76%
79%
Variety of delivery options available
Availability of hard-to-find/unique products
Variety of products/styles available
Products - high quality/trusted
Ease of searching
Internet/online only retailers In-store retail formats
Note: The above chart depicts findings related to top 3 of 28 retail formats and 5 of 18 store attributes evaluated in Deloitte’s 2017 holiday survey.
In-store retail formats include traditional department stores, mass merchant department stores, warehouse membership clubs, supermarkets, etc.
* Findings from 28 retail formats

50%
36% I prefer shopping in the physical store rather than online
for holiday products
I prefer shopping online rather than in the physical
store during the holiday season
32% It is important that the retailers I shop at have both a
store I can visit and an online site
Still, for many retailers, maintaining a dual in-store and online
presence will remain important

75%
75%
68%
62%
61%
59%
52%
48%
40%
32%
20%
19%
7%
Browse online
Make a purchase
Check/compare prices
Read product reviews
Track order status
Get product information: pricing and specifications
Check product availability in a store or website
Find and use discounts, coupons, sales information
Get store locations
Send/redeem gift cards
Access social networks
Accumulate loyalty points, 'badges,' etc.
Scan product barcodes to find more product information
83% use desktop/laptop for holiday shopping
“How do you plan to use desktop/laptop to assist you in your holiday shopping?”
*Probability is based on a 100% base of 83% that use a desktop/laptop for holiday shopping
The vast majority of customers will use a desktop/laptop during
their holiday shopping journey
The probability of converting a desktop/laptop shopper to purchaser is 75%
Planned desktop/laptop usage

67%
65%
63%
60%
59%
57%
56%
54%
48%
36%
35%
30%
28%
27%
Browse online
Track order status
Get store locations
Make a purchase
Read product reviews
Get product information: pricing and specifications
Check product availability in a store or website
Find and use discounts, coupons, sales information
Access social networks
Get text messages or exclusive deals from retailers
Scan product barcodes to find more product information
Send/redeem gift cards
Accumulate loyalty points, 'badges,' etc.
“How do you plan to use tablets, smartphones, or desktop/laptop to assist you in your holiday shopping?”
Smartphones are widely used for browsing and price comparisons
Planned smartphone usage
43% in 2016
The probability of converting a smartphone shopper to purchaser is 59%,
significantly higher than last year

64%
67%
68%
67%
67%
69%
60%
61%
67%
Browse online
Get store locations
Track order status
Browse online
Track order status
Browse online
$100K+
$50K - $100K
By household income By generation
Top 3 smartphone
uses
55%
56%
57%
61%
64%
65%
64%
64%
70%
65%
66%
69%
59%
61%
70%
Check product availability
Track order status
Browse online
Get store locations
Track order status
Browse online
Track order status
Browse online
Track order status
Browse online
Baby Boomers
Seniors
Gen Z
Millennials
GenXers
<$50K
““How do you plan to use smartphones to assist you in your holiday shopping? Base: [Among Those Using Smartphone to Holiday Shop]?”
Usage of a smartphone in the shopping journey varies slightly by
income and age group

Smartphone shoppers most often turn to dedicated retailer apps or payment
apps
Paying by smartphone takes on many forms for shoppers
*Multiple Choice. Will not =100%
12AC—N=Weighted Base 2034
Planned usage of mobile as a payment platform*
40%
36%
36%
22%
20%
Pay a retailer with retailer's app (e.g.
Amazon)
Pay other people using an app (e.g.,
PayPal, and Venmo)
Pay a retailer on their website (not using
their app)
Pay for purchases in physical stores with
a mobile wallet (e.g., Apple Pay®or
other mobile payment solution)
Pay for services with an app (e.g., Uber,
Seamless, or Car2Go)

Retailer policies:
Shipping & returns

72%
44%
42%
31%
30%
13%
Free shipping
Easy returns
Price matching
Extended holiday hours (open
early/close late)
Discounts on expedited shipping
Free layaway
The majority of shoppers plan to take advantage of free shipping
Will Take Advantage of…
“In general, what retail offerings will you take advantage of when spending this holiday season?”
“What percentage of your total holiday purchases will be influenced by any coupons and promotional offers that you receive?”
Other notable retailer policies include easy returns and price matching

More Important…
Fast
Shipping
12%
Free
Shipping
88%
Perception of Timeframe
2%
7%
45%
35%
6%
4%
Same day delivery
Next day delivery
Delivery within 2 days
Delivery within 3-4 days
Delivery within 5-7 days
Delivery within 1-2 weeks
The vast majority believe fast shipping means delivery within 2-4 days
Free shipping is more important than fast shipping
“When you are shopping online, which of these two promises below would be more important to you?”
“Which of the following would you consider to be ‘fast shipping’ and which would you not consider to be ‘fast shipping’?”

$5.6
$3.8
$1.6
$0.6
On average, would pay an extra…
Would pay nothing
extra for this 25% 32% 64% 88%
Think they could
order sometime after
December 17th and
still get free shipping
65%
Most expect fast shipping but are only willing to pay a few dollars for same or
next day delivery
Willingness to pay for shipping remains low
“How much extra, might you be willing to pay above and beyond regular shipping costs to receive a standard-sized gift package (price defined as $50-$100 US) within
the shipping timeframes below?”
“What is the latest day you think you can order gifts this year and still receive them by December 24th, under two types of shipping below? Assume a standard sized
package.”
$4.8 in 2016
$3.2 in 2016
$1.5 in 2016
$0.5 in 2016

43%
Likely to do store pick-up for
certain items*
62%
48%
31%
30%
16%
16%
I can save on shipping charges
I can get the item faster
I can see the product first before I accept
I can shop for other items on the same trip
Worried about theft or loss during shipping
Worried about shipping damage
“How likely will you be this holiday season to buy a product online and then instead of having it shipped to you, you will go to the store to pick up the item?”
“Why are you likely to buy online but pick up at the store?”
*Buy Online Pick Up In Store (BOPUS): Certain categories include: 45% -- Electronics / 45% Home & Kitchen
Savings and speed compel shoppers to pick up items in store

Home appliances, electronics and clothing top the list of
categories shoppers plan to buy online but pick up in the physical
store
45%
43% 43%
39%
31%
28%
Home & Kitchen Electronics &
Accessories
Clothing &
Accessories
Toys & Hobbies Health & Beauty Other spend
categories -
tickets, data plans
etc.
Methodology:
• The ‘highest spend category’ was identified for each respondent as the category which received more than 50% of the shopper’s holiday
budget.
• If no category received more than 50% of the holiday budget spend, then the respondent was categorized under ‘No-specific category’.
BOPUS by Category

67%
63%
51%
41%
32%
22%
7%
Can return item to any store, regardless of
purchase location
Has refund options other than store credit
Accepts longer return window (30-90
days)
No receipt required
Accepts longer return window (At least 30
days)
Allow returns with scan of identification
(e.g., loyalty card or credit card)
Returns policy is not important
Most desirable return policies are returns to any store, generous
refund options and long return windows
“When holiday shopping in either an online or a physical store, which of these return policies are most important to you?”

42% I know things will eventually go on sale so I only buy sale
items when holiday shopping
Deals still compel to many shoppers, who will seek out
opportunities to save
44% I wait for holiday sales to buy other larger or big ticket items for
myself or household
80% of respondents and 34% of purchases will be influenced by coupons/promotional offers
53% I don’t rely on Black Friday as much as I used to

About the survey
This survey was developed by Deloitte and conducted online by an independent research company between September 6-18,
2017. A national sample of 5,085 consumers aligned with the US Census for age and income was polled which has a margin of
error for the entire sample of plus or minus one to two percentage points.
About the Deloitte Center for Industry Insights
The Deloitte Center for Industry Insights is the research division of Deloitte LLP’s Consumer and Industrial Products practice.
The Center’s goal is to inform stakeholders across the consumer business and manufacturing ecosystem of critical business
issues, including emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities. Using primary research and rigorous analysis, the Center
provides unique perspectives and seeks to be a trusted source for relevant, timely, and reliable insights. To learn more, visit
www.deloitte.com/us/cb and www.deloitte.com/us/manufacturing.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its
network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent
entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to
one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the “Deloitte” name in the United States
and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public
accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.
This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting,
business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for
such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your
business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified
professional advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication.

2017 holiday survey: An annual analysis of the peak shopping season

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2017 holiday survey: An annual analysis of the peak shopping season