Holiday Retailing 2004: What Lies Ahead? New Study Forecasts Nearly Half of Holiday Gifts Will Come in Envelopes, Not Boxes

New York March 10, 2004 -– Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers want to receive monetary gifts during the holiday season, according to Holiday Retail Strategies 2004: How Christmas Shopping Trends Will Affect the 2004 Season, by market research publisher Packaged Facts. The study goes on to report that nearly 70% of holiday shoppers would like to give these types of gifts as well, usually in the form of cash, gift cards, or gift certificates.

Gift cards, in particular, continue to increase in popularity and accounted for 10% of the $226 billion in Holiday sales for 2003. Indeed, the untraditional "non-present present" has come of age. Monetary gifts, education, services and travel/transportation have all been reported as giftable categories for at least a decade, so innovation in gift-giving (and self-consumption) options this year will be key to a profitable 2004 holiday season.

"Consumers may not be thinking about Christmas in March, but many retailers and manufacturers certainly are," said Don Montuori, Acquisitions Editor for Packaged Facts. "And since the holiday season on average accounts for 25% of a company’s annual revenue, retailers and manufacturers must start thinking outside the ‘gift box’ to be successful this year."

Holiday Retail Strategies 2004: How Christmas Shopping Trends Will Affect the 2004 Season is written by Annette McEvoy, an independent expert with senior level management experience in the retail, consumer products, and advertising industries. It uncovers new trends in Christmas retailing that have emerged from 2002 and 2003 and outlines the environment, winning strategies and tactics, customer understanding and planning skills needed to succeed in 2004 and beyond. This new report is priced at $1995 and is available for purchase at MarketResearch.com, or by clicking http://www.packagedfacts.com/pub/952795.html.

About the Author
Annette McEvoy has held management positions in major consumer marketing companies including Limitedbrands, L’Oreal, Bristol-Myers, and McCann Erickson Worldwide. Most recently, she worked with a leading Wall Street institutional investment company to develop a model for the 2003 Holiday season to predict winners and losers in the retailing industry.

Ms. McEvoy received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business and B.A. with Honors from Stanford University.

About Packaged Facts
Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, produces research reports on a wide range of consumer industries, including information on domestic and global market trends and opportunities. For more information visit www.PackagedFacts.com, or contact Matt Seward at 301.468.3650 x205.





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