Survey: Retailers show cautious optimism for holiday shopping season

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. retailers are showing cautious optimism for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

According to a July 2013 survey of 77 U.S. retailers with annual revenue between $20 million and $5 billion, conducted by e-commerce technology provider Baynote, 38% of respondents project an 11% to 20% year-over-year increase in online sales, with 22% predicting an increase of 21% or more.



In addition, 53% of respondents expect mobile transactions to account for a significant part of holiday revenue, and 38% believe mobile will drive renewed in-store interest that will lead to increased revenue.



Furthermore, retailers plan to offer promotions — such as flash sales, buy-one-get-one free offers and free shipping — at select times throughout the holiday season.