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Michael Zamora / AP
Many retailers are urging shoppers to play Santa for themselves this year.
Last year Hyundai entertained — or annoyed — television viewers with advertisements featuring carol-singing hipsters. This year, the automaker is taking a different tack in early radio ads, urging listeners to "give yourself a gift" of a new Hyundai this holiday season.
Retailers, struggling with sluggish consumer spending are pulling out all the stops to get shoppers, including pushing gift-buying for your best friend –- yourself.
Apparel retailer J Crew debuted a campaign with the tag line "To: You — From: You." Shoppers can barely escape the "buy it for yourself" message on the website of online footwear megastore Zappos.com: Nearly every holiday-themed landing page includes text urging browsers to pick up a pair of boots or something else for themselves. Even Starbucks ran a "One for you, one for me" holiday promotion.
"I think they're trying to hit core customers any way they can hit them," says Sam Poser, managing director at brokerage Sterne Agee.
According to a National Retail Federation survey, roughly 60 percent of shoppers plan to buy for themselves or purchase "non-gift" merchandise this holiday season. Although consumers are predicted to spend roughly $15 less on gifts and seasonal items this year, the amount being set aside for self-gifting has gone up by around $18.
"The consumer is telling us it may be the first time they set foot in stores all year," says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at NPD Group, a market research company. "It becomes incredibly important to tap into that self-purchasing and non-gifting opportunity." Prior to the recession, 26 percent of all holiday purchases were intended for the buyer, Cohen says. In 2008, that dropped to 9 percent, but is projected to rebound to 16 percent this year.
"We're trained to shop at this time of year. We wait for the signs to go up and we capitalize on the sales," says Mike Matacunas, CEO of the Parker Avery Group, a retail consulting firm. "I think there's a pent-up demand for products and purchases."
Consumers put off buying for much of the year in what Matacunas calls the "new normal" of retail, which means stores are under intense pressure to get people to buy items for themselves. Framing these purchases as gifts creates a more indulgent frame of mind that helps shoppers justify their self-splurges. "Getting that tone right makes people respond," he says. "They go out and they say, 'I want that. I deserve that.'"
Retailers are also tapping into this trend with buy-one-get-one offers and free-gift-with-purchase promotions, says Alison Lipson, senior retail and apparel analyst at market research firm Mintel. "They're giving one piece of the gift and keeping one themselves."
Another version of the self-gifting trend is the growing concept of the "family gift." "How many people were buying a big-screen TV as a gift? They may have called it a family gift, but it was a gift to themselves," Cohen says. Retailers hope this big family gift will wind up being augmented with smaller, individual gifts by the time presents are exchanged.
Cohen says electronics are a hot area for family gift purchases, and categories related to hosting or entertaining are also ripe for this tactic. Best Buy pushes an Xbox in its online holiday gift guide with the headline, "More family fun for everyone."
Sure, a buyer could have somebody else's family in mind when dropping $400 on the console, but it's unlikely. National Retail Federation data shows that people plan to spend roughly that amount on gifts for their immediate families; they say they'll spend far less on gifts for friends, co-workers and others.
Positioning an investment in household items as a holiday splurge is a popular message retailers are sending this year. "More ways to make the holidays and every day easier," reads the copy in Best Buy's online catalog above a stainless steel set of kitchen appliances. Target's website urges shoppers to "Get your house ready to celebrate," next to links for bath, bedding and furniture offerings.
These two brands make a glancing effort to link buying, say, a new washer-dryer set with holiday entertaining, but wrapping up these items and placing them under a tree is almost beside the point. Analysts say self and family gifting dovetails with a broader push by retailers to carve out Black Friday as a separate shopping event from holiday gift-buying.
"Certainly part of that is tied to Christmas, but part of that is spreading out that Friday," says Will Ander, senior partner at retail marketing firm McMillanDoolittle, LLP. "It's gotten so big it was turning customers off."
Black Friday creep is taking place across retail categories. Some stores roll out their sale prices early in the week or make bargain-priced items available online. "Spreading it out more allows it to be more convenient if customers want to come early," Ander says. Part of this is an ongoing race among retailers; it pays to be first out of the gate before Americans have blown through their holiday budgets. But another reason is that there literally only so many items you can pass through a checkout station over the course of a day, Ander says.
If marketers can imprint onto the collective consumer mind that Black Friday is when you buy things for yourself and your family, either before or in conjunction with gift purchases, they'll have effectively created a new retail "holiday" — ideally without cannibalizing seasonal gift purchases.
The danger retailers face is they will have shifted shoppers' purchasing patterns to a narrow slice of the calendar.
"Retailers have trained customers that the best deals are during the holidays," says Alison Levy, a retail strategist at consulting company Kurt Salmon. "Retailers might like the looks of this now, but I certainly think there's some risk that [customers are] pulling forward some of next year's spend. This could make January and February of next year tougher than usual."
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From Me To Me always been my motto. Lotsa laughs.
The contagion from the European disaster is headed across the Atlantic. The Big Crash is waiting around the corner in 2012. Massive unemployment, foreclosures, and homeless. Don't splurge this Xmas. Save as much as you can.
Buy gold. In your scenario, US Dollars will be worthless anyway.
Name the arrogant retailers so I can avoid them all year. It reminds me of Apple telling me to donate my pad to a teacher.
Oh, for god's sake! Christmas is a religious holiday. Poor Jesus...
Is MSNBC in the tank for the retailers? Everyday there's a no article telling me, I will spend more money then I have? Get Real Retailers, People do not have money to buy your plastic crap from China!
God and religion have not been part of Most Peoples Christmas for years, the way people act this time of year,
God wants nothing to do with it. I think the Jesus Wept phrase is appropriate.
Christmas was usurped from the Pagans anyway-- it used to be called Yule. Jesus never had anything to do with "Christmas" -- a bunch of arrogant Bishops and Popes coerced the pagans into converting and then claimed the holiday as their own to help with the transition. The term applied to the Christ's Mass, which they mandated over the preexisting Yule traditions. The same thing happened with Easter ("Easter" is a pagan fertility goddess- and has absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus, regardless of what the church tells you. That's why the bunny rabbit and the eggs and such-- not exactly "Christian" symbolism at work there) except that with Easter, they didn't even bother to change the name.
I would point out that anyone celebrating Jesus' birthday in December is well off the mark, too. Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem to pay their taxes to the Romans-- and tax collection occurred in the springtime, not the dead of winter.
Nope ain't happening...I did my Christmas shopping back in July before the Retailers ordered their stocks with higher price tags on them just to scam us now by saying they lowered prices...Like the $39.00 Suitcoat I bought in July that now has a $115. price Tag on it, but lowered to $59.00....Nope let the suckers out there fall of it..I'm not....Lol's
Is it lonely at the top, Eddie?
One way to increase sales and I'm waiting for it, closed down all St. Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Goodwill Stores and ban all yard sales heh heh. Many commercial and retail stores could claim unfair advantages heh heh. Novel idea huh heh heh
Could you please drop the creepy, pedophile-esque "heh heh heh" from your posts? Thanks a mill!
I was thinking it was kinda like beavus and butt head but I think you hit the mark lol.
Get out there and buy a bunch of cheap chinese crap you Lemmings, the economy depends on it.
Now why would I want to support the Chinese employees and their economy heh heh
Why must it always be about me me me? Since greed and arrogance is what dug the hole, they might as well be what kills us.
Don't fall for it. You might need that money after the holidays. Gas & food will rise to record levels. Save for an emergency. Your gonna need it.
I just reviewed the Black Friday ad's for major electronics and office retaillers and found out they're offering the same merchandise at, in almost every case, no greater price break than usual. I looked at laptops, desktops, cell phones and found the "deals" were on bottom end models with low memory, small amounts of storage, about to be DC'd models. All of them are offering either the exact same or very slightly altered models of the same goods. What a load of crap. It's too late for them but no for us. I am simply staying home and leaving my credit card tucked away. I had planned to do some shopping for specials and to pick up some other goods too but I have decided to skip it - simply put it's an insult and I won't tolerate it.
I have no credit card heh heh
I noticed that too, Getit. We're having one White Elephant grab bag with stuff from the thrift store, (that's loads of fun. We get the ugliest thing we can find) and only buying real presents for the toddlers in the extended family this year. Even that dollar amount has been scaled back.
I refuse to spend what I don't have to keep up with the Joneses. My kids (teenagers) won't suffer, they know Mom and Dad don't have unlimited funds and understand what the season is REALLY about.
Oh, and I forgot to mention any and all resale stores, example, Habitat for Humanity they sell resale of products much cheaper because they are used heh heh. Also all resale of lumber lol. All these types of businesses hurt the economy heh heh. People should not be allowed to donate any longer lol
Food banks are also causing prices to escalate in grocery stores. Instead of buying from grocery stores more often, people go to food banks heh heh. Stores have to charge more for their food products on the shelf lol
Put America back to work, quit volunteering heh heh.
Non profits have a monoply on businesses and pay no taxes heh heh. Churches are involved in this as well lol. They are bringing our social structure down because of this as so many are involved heh heh
Oh come now, no comments refuting me heh heh? Just a question here, why should someone who buys a new couch for example at $500.00, donates it (then buys another for $600.00 to replace it, bored with old one) and it's sold for $50.00 or a $100.00 at a resale store get a tax break on it? Not only that, the resale store isn't paying taxes on that $50.00 or a 100 to top that off. My take on it is they should all pay their fair share heh heh
Canoworms: No one is really replying to you because you make no sense. Give the crazy a rest and maybe people will listen you.
Canoworms sounds like Beavis from Beavis and Butthead. That sure would explain his posts. Just sayin'
Why should I buy for me at Christmas. I buy for me all year long, and at a much cheaper price.
Another thing. Now, it's buy for yourself at CHRISTMAS. Gee, we have always celebrated Christmas, you are the guys that changed it to "The Holiday Season". Well, big boy, I only do business that celebrated CHRISTMAS, and you ain't it. Become Christian, Celebrate Christmas, and see me next year. Maybe we'll talk.
Of course, because Jesus would have approved of the shameless commercialism, big flashy lights, and pushing and shoving that are done in his name. Happy Holidays! ;)
Sorry retailers....
I've completed ALL of my Christmas (yes Christmas with a "C") shopping. I've succeeded in buying all AMERICAN made products on-line and have NO NEED for the Peoples Liberation Army of the Peoples Republic of China products the big-box stores are hustling.
Maybe if the stores sold American made products I'd venture into them again. Now, I'm happy to keep my neighbors across the country employed making products buying on-line.
Well done.
Shouldn't you be taking out your aggression on the American business owners who push the products, rather than on the innocent kids in the Chinese countryside? It is Xmas, after all.
Get out there and buy a bunch of cheap chinese crap you Lemmings, the economy depends on it.
Get out there and buy a bunch of cheap chinese crap you Lemmings, the economy depends on it.
Save your money folks. Times are BAD.
Spend now, and you might just find yourself after the holidays, in the welfare/unemployment line or homeless. Let the 1% do the shopping!
No one is listening to these ads anyway.....let them waste all the ad money they want to....be my guest....it won't help them at all......
How amusing to hear advertising executives talk about "collective consumer minds" and training us to shop when prompted. They are right it seems. As bad as the economy is there will be clawing mob scenes out from coast to coast consuming on schedule. They will camp in the parking lots too but I don't anticipate riot police looking their way...
ALRIGHT....I am going to do what I am told like a mindless idiot and run out
to buy tons of worthless crap I don't need to feed my ego. Wow, thanks for
telling me to go buy...I almost FORGOT. Not enough commercials I guess.
We are getting pretty narcissistic, arent we?
Are the retailers saying Merry Christmas anymore? It would sure help if they did. People don't give gifts for a non-event. Giving to yourself is what people do anyways.
I've always felt it was more important to spend some time with family versus spending money on stuff I have no need for.
Retailers have pondered the true meaning of Christmas and have finally come up with "self-gifting" (doesn't that just have that perfect Martha Stewart ring to it?). Brilliant, just brilliant.
Bah, humbug. Better idea: give the money to the Salvation Army.
Corporate America convinced us over the last 30 years to invest our retirement savings in the stock market, buy the biggest house we could because it was an investment, buy everything else on credit because it was good for the economy and our individual credit ratings, and support the war effort by shopping and going to Disneyworld. When the house of cards fell, they said it was all our fault for putting our money in risky investments, over buying real estate and running up credit debt with no savings. Now its not enough to buy for everyone you ever knew in your life - you have to add one more gift for yourself because of course Christmas is not about selflessness. I hate what Christmas has become. I enjoy nothing about it and would gladly skip straight from Thanksgiving to January 1.
Maybe if they offered some Made In USA merchandise we wouldn't have 10% unemployment and only low paying service jobs because we would still be making something here. When China-Mart came to town with their outsourced goods for cheaper everyone bought it and all the local retail stores went out of business. They should get used to slow sales until the rest of the worlds standard of living rises and ours falls until we meet on middle ground, then jobs will come back here paying whatever the minimum wage is. We should thank the lobbyist who bought and paid for our govt. and free trade for selling out the middle class. The 1% sit in their castles and throw their leftover scraps to the peasants and wait for the middle class to get used to being poor because they do not have enough yet, they will not be happy until they have everything, and that still won't be enough.
I would buy myself a gift but I don't know what I want.
Yes, I do---a decent job.
Which retailers have those on sale?
...one has to ask then, what skills you got to pay the bills?
Dude - People with Masters Degrees are working jobs at McDonalds. You can have all the skills in the world but the jobs simply AREN'T THERE.
I joined the Military to solve my problems.
Politics aside, best ... decision... evar.