As the next few day pass, American consumers will be flooding retail stores and websites to purchase products they plan to give as gifts for the holiday season. Since there are still many customers who have shopping left to do, businesses are offering deals and incentives aimed at drawing patrons into their brick-and-mortar locations and ecommerce sites.

Approximately 68 percent of shoppers – representing nearly 132 million Americans – have not yet finished their holiday gift buying, according to the Consumer Reports Holiday Poll. The research also looked at the items that customers would most likely be purchasing at the last minute, and 62 percent said they will be getting gift cards, 15 percent said alcohol and 12 percent said lottery tickets.

"We found in a previous poll that 20 percent of Americans dread shopping for gifts, which could explain why there are so many procrastinators this year," said Tod Marks, Consumer Reports senior editor. "Those who haven't finished shopping can expect crowded stores – including on Christmas Eve."

Retailers are providing deals and other incentives to bring in consumers, states the Tribune Review. Some, like Macy's and Toys R Us, are extending their hours to give shoppers more time to stock up on items. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 at 11:32 am .