More people will be buying online, but plenty of people still shop brick-and-mortar stores for Christmas, and if projected Super Saturday sales are any indication, plenty of people put off holiday shopping for the last minute, said Deborah Fowler, program director and professor in the retail management program at Texas Tech University. She’s not expecting too much to be different this year from past years, although the amount of shopping Americans do is projected to increase.
Fowler, who has tracked retail trends for years, is the author of “Retail Category Management,” which focuses on the nature of retail processes and concepts. She has partnered with a variety of major companies, including teaching a class on retail trends as well as a course that allows graduate students to analyze and present a profit-making plan to a major retailer.
ExpertDeborah Fowler, professor of retail management, (806) 834-1779 or [email protected]
Talking points • Sales are expected to be up this year. The National Retail Federation estimated retail sales would be up 10 percent from last year and Deloitte estimated a 19 percent increase in online sales.• Black Friday ads are available online, but don’t expect offerings that vary significantly from previous years, either in product or price.• Shoppers need to make a list and stick to it; a sale tag in the excitement of Black Friday doesn’t make a purchase good. Also keep receipts in case the prices drop again by Super Saturday (the last Saturday before Christmas).
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