Breaking $1,000 for the first time! American consumers' holiday gift shopping budget hits a new high

Recently, CNBC conducted a survey of 800 American consumers. The results show that Americans' holiday shopping intentions are rising. Although Americans are worried about inflation and supply chain crises , they are still excited to plan to spend this holiday season.

According to CNBC's National Economic Survey , the average American consumer plans to spend $1,004 on gifts this holiday season , a 13% increase from last year during the COVID-19 pandemic and the highest level since 2018 .

In addition, the survey also found that 15 % of American consumers plan to increase spending this year, up from 11% in 2020 , and 35% of consumers plan to spend less, down 39% from 2020 levels .

Among those who spent less , 25 % said it was because of the poor economic situation, 21% said it was because of rising prices or difficulty paying bills, and 17% said they wanted to save money. At the same time, 36% of consumers said they started shopping earlier than usual because they were worried that they might not receive gifts in time, and 25% were worried that the gifts might be late.

In addition, the survey clearly shows that current supply chain issues, inflation and an overall negative view of the economy are also affecting consumers' mood when planning to celebrate Christmas . Among those who plan to increase their holiday budgets , one - third said it was because they have more money, and one-quarter said it was because they need to give more gifts to friends.

The survey also found that more than half of Americans said they do most or all of their shopping online, which is 5 percentage points higher than pre-pandemic levels. When it comes to shopping channels, Amazon remains the top choice for these consumers, with 35% of Americans saying it is their first online destination. Etsy and other local business websites ranked second, accounting for only 7%, followed by Walmart's online website, which accounted for 5%.

This Christmas, as people are no longer afraid to go out, sales in physical stores will also improve. Jay Campbell, a partner at Hart Research Associates, a Democratic polling organization in the United States , believes that this year will be a good Christmas. People are willing to go out of the house, and most of them are eager to go back to the store to spend money.

American Consumers

Holiday Shopping Season