Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine

2011 Holiday Outlook
& Gift Guide
Heading into another tense and critical
holiday shopping season, retailers once
again are feeling a bit uncertain about the
amount of Christmas cheer consumers
will be spreading this winter. One could easily
assume that wallets will remain closely guarded,
and therefore inventory levels should be kept
appropriately tight. Retailers, however, are getting
some mixed signals that make just about any
assumption somewhat risky.
As the fall leaves began turning, for instance,
confidence among consumers was at or near
historic lows. The 45.4 September reading of the
Consumer Confidence Index was far below the 70.4
level it had reached in February and the 90-plus mark
seen in a thriving economy. Possibly displaying even
worse pessimism, an October CNN poll found that
90 percent of Americans said economic conditions
were “poor,” up from 81 percent in June. Numerous
other surveys were showing that nearly half of
consumers said they would be spending less this
holiday season than in 2010, up from around the
third of folks who expressed similar sentiments last
year at the same time.
Yet in the midst of all the gloom, September
retail sales provided a ray of hope, surprising
most analysts with nearly a 6 percent jump over
the previous year, according to the National Retail
Federation.
“The unexpectedly strong sales increase in
September may work to dampen fears of a doubledip
recession and could indicate an economic and
employment rebound,” said a hopeful Matthew Shay,
NRF president and CEO.
News was even rosier within the outdoor
market. According to Leisure Trends Group,
Fall 2011 | InsideOutdoor | 31