One in four Americans are worried about the cost of the upcoming holiday season, according to results of a study released by RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital coupon website in the U.S. That put the United States at the top of the list of the 11 nations studied.
However, nearly half of U.S. holiday shoppers (48%) expect to spend about the same as they did last year on the December holidays. Only about 8% believed they would spend more. The international average was 9%, though more than one in four holiday shoppers in China (29%) and India (27%) said that they likely would spend more.
More than a third of respondents in the United States (35%), France (35%) and Great Britain (36%) said they expect to spend less in November and December this year than last year.
The National Retail Federation had forecast holiday season sales growth of 3.9%, which is higher than in the past few years. However, the recent political wrangling in Washington has given both retailers and consumers plenty to be concerned about.
The survey also showed that 40% of Americans planned to start shopping before October. Furthermore, about 22% holiday shoppers in the United States buy holiday gifts all throughout the year to spread out the cost.
And approximately 90% of Americans plan to do at least some of their holiday shopping online. The international average was 84%, with online shopping particularly popular in China, Great Britain and Germany.
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