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More than one in three holiday shoppers, or 62.3 million adult consumers, report they begin holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. Just under 36 percent say they begin shopping between Thanksgiving and December 15th. These are the findings of new data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI). Approximately two percent don't begin until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Nearly 62 percent of those who begin shopping before Thanksgiving are women. In fact, women are 18 percent more likely than holiday shoppers in general to begin shopping before Thanksgiving.

Although all age groups include early shoppers, Boomers represent the largest single age group. Some 38 percent of early shoppers are Boomers.

Household income does not seem to be a driver for early shopping, but the need to buy toys definitely is. Early shoppers are 13 percent more likely than holiday shoppers, in general, to have bought at least one toy in the last 12 months.

Early shoppers are prepared both to give and receive holiday gifts. They are nine percent more likely to have given a personal wish list of gifts they hope to receive to their family and friends.

"Black Friday may be the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, but as many retailers have recognized, its strength has diminished as millions of Americans begin their shopping before Thanksgiving," said Anne Marie Kelly, SVP of marketing and strategic planning at MRI. "Understanding who these consumers are and how best to reach them will give marketers a leg up in what is shaping up to a be a difficult holiday season for retailers."

Article ID: 793