HOUSTON — No, it is not your imagination. Stores have already rolled out the Christmas displays.
According to Ad Age, holiday marketing had a record early start this year.
Holiday sales starting
Walmart and Target have already started their holiday sales, and Amazon has moved up its discounts, touting it as an early access sale. There is a reason for this Christmas creep.
Consumers shopping earlier
A recent survey from the National Retail Federation found that consumers are in part driving this trend at least this year. Forty-four percent of shoppers said they are making their list early this year thanks to concerns about inflation. Shoppers are snapping up deals when they see them to spread costs over a longer period of time.
Half of yearly sales
Stores aren’t blameless in this. Some retailers make up to half of their yearly sales just during the holiday period. So, they are hoping customers shop early and often.
Decorations drive sales
All those Christmas decorations and music also have a psychological effect on shoppers. According to experts, they can trigger people to spend more as they start thinking about buying gifts. That means you better get used to hearing jingle bells for the next few months.