With the hectic holiday season fast approaching while Americans are still dealing with high inflation, WalletHub has published several reports on holiday shopping for this year.
Inflation is expected to be a driving force behind holiday shopping this year, with many consumers turning to credit cards and payment plans to afford their holiday wish-lists, and many consumers cutting down on spending.
Below are 9 facts revealed in the reports with links to the sources.
- JCPenney, Belk and Macy’s are 2022’s Best Places to Shop on Black Friday, offering an average discount of at least 53%.
- Around 13% of items at major retailers will be more expensive on Black Friday than their current Amazon.com prices.
- Consumer packaged goods will offer the most value on Black Friday 2022 relative to their current prices, while computers and phones are expected to have the least rewarding deals.
- 50% of people say Santa will be less generous this year due to inflation, according to WalletHub’s 2021 Holiday Shopping Survey.
- Amazon, Walmart and Target top the list of 2022’s Best Gift Cards.
- Consumers can save $300+ with one of 2022’s Best Credit Cards for Holiday Shopping.
- Some consumers already have access to little-known credit card benefits that can come in handy over the holidays, including price-drop protection and coverage for damaged or stolen items.
- 100% of store credit cards do not charge an annual fee, and the average card offering rewards in the form of discounts gives you 17%.5 off your first purchase, according to WalletHub’s 2022 Store Card Landscape Report.
- 40% of the major retailers offering 0% financing use a dangerous feature called deferred interest, which has the potential to make holiday purchases up to 27.5 times more expensive than expected.