Survey: More holiday shoppers looking to increase gift-giving this year

SAN ANTONIO — Consumers plan to buy more gifts this year, according to a recent survey commissioned by USAA and released Monday. The fourth annual USAA holiday spending survey indicated that consumer sentiment toward holiday budgeting has become more positive in 2012 when compared to 2011 (53% vs. 45%).

“This year’s survey data aligns with recent reports that holiday sales growth is expected to remain above the 10-year growth rate,” stated JJ Montanaro, USAA spokesman. “Even with the current mixed economic picture, shoppers seem to have more optimism this holiday season, which may be encouraging them to open their wallets.”

For the third year in a row, fewer holiday shoppers plan on cutting their holiday spending and creating a budget. In 2010, 40% of shoppers reported plans to scale back, compared to 31% in 2011 and 24% in 2012. And 61% planned on budgeting for their holiday purchases in 2010, compared to 57% in 2011 and 55% in 2012.

This year’s survey findings underscore the growing trend of mobile shopping with 56% of respondents planning to use their mobile devices as a tool for comparison shopping, downloading coupons, searching for availability in stores and making purchases. According to a recent survey, consumers spent more than $20.7 billion shopping using mobile devices in 2012 and tend to spend an average of $10 more per purchase using their tablet.

USAA, a financial services provider with fully integrated solutions that focuses on serving military members and their families, commissioned the survey to determine how consumers plan to approach their holiday spending and budgeting activities this year compared to the previous years’ surveys on this topic.