Consumers may loosen their purse strings ever so slightly this holiday season, according to NRF's 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. The survey found Americans plan to spend on average $689 on holiday related shopping this year, up from $682 last year. More telling perhaps, was the number of people who counted customer service as the most important factor. That percentage rose from 4.4% last year to 5.3% this year, while shoppers who touted quality as the overriding factor rose from 11.8% to 12.7%.
While many traditional categories like clothing (48.2%) and books (47.3%) will appear on a majority of wish lists this year, 23.0% will ask for jewelry, up from last year's 20.8%. Gift cards will remain the most requested holiday gift this year with 57.0% of people asking for plastic.
