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    AMERICA'S RESEARCH GROUP�S TWELVE POINTS OF CHRISTMAS: BRITT'S HOLIDAY PREDICTIONS

    Charleston, SC, November 7, 2003 -- America�s Research Group, one of the country�s leading consumer research firms, today releases the holiday shopping predictions of its chairman, Britt Beemer. Known for his detailed reports and honest opinion, Beemer is one of the country�s premier marketing strategists and has written two books: Predatory Marketing: What Everyone in Business Needs to Know to Win Today�s Consumer; and It Takes a Prophet to Make a Profit: 15 Trends That Are Reshaping American Business. Beemer travels the country speaking to business leaders, clients and the media. His firm studies consumer behavior and has interviewed more than 5 million consumers on behalf of its clients in the retailing and manufacturing fields.

    �My projection for Christmas 2003 is a 4.8% increase over a year ago, due to consumers spending more on each individual gift and consumers buying more gifts this year than last year,� Beemer says.

    Beemer�s holiday predictions have come within .5% of the actual 8 of the last 9 years. His forecast of 2.8% last year was spot-on.

    Here are Beemer�s highlights from the ARG Christmas 2003 survey:
    • Christmas week will be the big vacation week, so retailers should not count on the weekend before Christmas to save them.
    • Consumers are moving toward shopping more from the first of December until the weekend before Christmas.
    • Retailers note: shoppers wanting 50% off continues to grow, so waiting until a few days before Christmas to advertise 50% off could significantly affect Christmas shopping.
    • This will be an even bigger gift certificate/gift card Christmas, breaking last year�s record-setter.
    • The number of persons getting Christmas gifts rose from 9.1 last year to 9.76 this year.
    • The gifts this year will be much nicer, as the average amount spent on gifts is at $36.63 this year compared to $32.28 last year. The top price range last year was $21-$25, but this year it�s $36-$50.
    • Affinity credit card programs rewarding shoppers for using a particular card have taken hold this year, allowing consumers to feel they can spend more.
    • Home entertaining is back! The number of Americans planning to entertain this Christmas is at a ten-year high.
    • Those planning to shop on �Black Friday,� the day after Thanksgiving, is at the lowest since 1997: �crowds� and �too early to get the real deals� are driving this new lower trend.
    • �Made in America� and patriotic-themed gifts are back to pre-September 11th levels and are much less important.
    • With no �must-have� gift item this year, consumers will pay more attention to retailer advertising and are giving more Christmas ornaments as gifts.
    • The Internet will be bigger this year and E-Bay�s businesses should be better. Not having a store is not as big a negative today, but having a store location adds greater security and confidence for consumers.


    For the complete survey, historical comparison or to interview Britt Beemer, contact Pfund + Fleck, 212.481.7900; [email protected]

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