Commentary

52% Of Consumers Oppose Retail Stores Opening On Thanksgiving Day

As brick-and-mortar retailers test the idea of staying open for Thanksgiving Day, allowing consumers to shop in stores, marketers must find the perfect message for search campaigns to avoid offending those who want nothing to do with shopping.

Here is some data to help hone those messages and keep consumers happy as they decide where to spend their holiday budgets.

With the holiday just about a week away, results from a Morning Consult survey found that most Americans would prefer that retail stores remain closed on Thanksgiving Day. The survey, conducted between November 1 and 3, asked 2,201 adult Americans their opinions around stores opening on Turkey Day.

The results reveal that 52% oppose stores remaining open on Thanksgiving Day. The highest percentage of opposition -- 77% -- comes from consumers who earn an annual income of $50,000 or more. Those who live in rural communities also had the highest percentage -- also at 77% -- compared with those who live in urban areas at 73% and those living in suburban areas, at 74%.

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Ironically, more women than men oppose to stores opening on Thanksgiving Day. In fact 58% of women vs. 47% of men oppose it.

Younger Americans 18 to 21 years of age are more likely to support the idea. Among adults who support Thanksgiving Day shopping, 52% were attracted by deals offered that day, while 41% said the holiday may be some people's only day off to shop in stores.

Half of adults said they would be more likely to plan a future visit to a store that decided to stay closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Wal-Mart will host its first Light Up Black Friday party on Thanksgiving Day party. The doors will open at 4 p.m. local time, but shoppers won’t have the opportunity to make purchases until 6 p.m. The retailer will serve coffee and cookies to get people into the stores. Its app will offer a new Black Friday Store Map to help shoppers search and find the deals.

And while Morning Consult’s survey suggests consumers just don’t want retail stores to open on Thanksgiving Day, bestblackfriday.com lists a slew of retail stores opening for business, including Bass Pro, Best Buy, Big Lots, Dicks Sporting Goods, Macy’s, Sears, Rite Aid, Target, Victoria Secrets, and more.

A Swagbucks survey released Wednesday suggests that only 19% of Americans plan to shop on Thanksgiving Day. The national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults and teens conducted in October suggests most will budget between $50 and $150 on one gift for the holidays.

Swagbucks, a Prodege rewards- and loyalty-program subsidiary, found one-quarter of Americans plan to spend between $300 and $500 on holiday shopping this year, whether or not they start shopping on Thanksgiving Day.

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