Media Sales Today

Add Deloitte to the list of prognosticators who see a bright side to this year’s holiday shopping season. The firm recently published its 26th annual survey on the topic. Not surprisingly, Deloitte’s forecast supports what others have been saying about digital and mobile trends. The forecast includes a few surprises though.

No one can blame retailers for nervously promoting great deals early in this holiday season. Nearly every large research firm has predicted that consumers will keep a close watch on their spending. Consumer spending may not be as restrained as last year, though. The 24th Annual Holiday Survey by Deloitte indicates that just over half of consumers will spend as much or more than last yea

As consumers sharpen their pencils to cut down the size of the holiday gift lists, there’s one item retailers hope will fare better than last year: gift cards. For years, the gift card market has been growing quickly and is now valued at $24.9 billion. This year, Archstone Consulting predicts the industry will end the year somewhere between $23.67 and $24.9 billion or between a 5% drop to a flat outcome.