• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Subscribe
  • Submit Content
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Advertise
    • Display Advertising
    • Email Marketing Campaigns
    • Newsletter Advertising
    • Sponsored Content
    • Lead Generation Services
  • Top Product Sources

WholesaleCentral.com Blog

The Industry's Trusted Source for B2B Retail and Wholesale News

  • For Buyers
    • Retail News
    • Products & Suppliers
    • Ecommerce
    • Marketing & Management
    • Trade Show News
  • For Suppliers
    • Supplier News
    • Marketing & Management
    • Importing
    • Manufacturers
    • Warehousing
    • Finance
    • Show Exhibiting
  • Wholesale 101
  • Trade Show Calendar
  • Wholesale Products
Home » Shopping Trends

Shopping Trends

March 1, 2012 by Publisher

The holidays may have passed, but they are far from forgotten, as industry leaders and market researchers in the retail sector analyze holiday sales and all related data, for a glimpse of 2012’s possible shopping trends. A recent study by The NPD Group, Inc., a leading market research company, found two important trends going into the new year: women’s shopping habits and smartphone shopping capabilities.

Women and Mobile Continue to Lead Trends

The study affirms that women openly admitted to spending less on gifts this past holiday season, as well as cut back on the number of gifts bought. NPD also reports, “When asked if they bought items on sale, shopped in less expensive stores and bought more practical or thrifty gifts, again a higher percentage of women answered ‘Yes.’” This doesn’t mean women sold themselves short in the shopping experience. Fifty percent of women told NPD they bought something for themselves during the course of their holiday shopping. Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of the NPD Group, Inc., confirms, “Women were the ones that told us they cut back on their spending, cut back on the number of people on their lists and in general were more thrifty in their gift shopping. So, they felt more comfortable rewarding themselves for being so frugal, and there were a lot of deals that were hard to pass up.”

Another noteworthy trend was the popularity of smartphones and mobile marketing, as both men and women consumers used their phones as a channel for research and purchasing this holiday season. Women were only slightly more inclined to research a product (13 percent versus 12), as well as follow through with a purchase (five percent versus four). Men, however, were more willing to use the phone as a resource while shopping in-store, reading product reviews along the way (seven percent versus five percent). They were also more likely to discuss their shopping experience via social networks with other holiday shoppers (four percent versus three). “I think it is becoming clear that there is a growing market for this kind of consumer engagement,” said Cohen, “While the four percent of consumers that told us they used smartphones to make a purchase doesn’t sound like a lot, remember it was less than a decade ago that only three percent of consumers told us they shopped online,” noted Cohen.

Category: Magazine Archives, Retail News Tags: mobile, shopping, smart phones

Primary Sidebar

Latest Posts

Tips to Expand Your Retail Business

Retail News

Inflation Boosting the Secondhand Market

Retail News

Momentum Continues After OFFPRICE Show

Trade Show News

Small Business Giving Back to Underserved Communities

Retail News

How to Avoid ERP System Pitfalls

Marketing & Management

Using Blockchain to Grow Your Business

Ecommerce

Sign Up for Buyer Updates

WholesaleCentral.com

Join the Buyer's Network

Get news & updates only for retailers.

Editor’s Picks

How to Build the Perfect Marketing Campaign

Editors Picks, Wholesale 101 for Buyers

The Best & Worst Times to Post on Social Media

Editors Picks, Marketing & Management

Best Made in USA Products to Sell in the Summer

Editors Picks, Featured Products, Made in USA, Product News

More Editor's Picks

Follow Us:

© Sumner Communications, Inc.
6 Research Drive, Suite 420 | Shelton, CT 06484