DISCUSSION
Moms will decide how much holiday cheer retailers enjoy this year
Written by George Anderson
Photo: @beachbumledford via Twenty20
Retail sales expectations for Christmas are ranging between hopeful and optimistic as the calendar moves closer to Thanksgiving. After months of trying to build back from the damage done by the novel coronavirus pandemic, retailers may get some relief from pent-up consumer demand and desire to find some joy in new toys (literal or otherwise). In the end, however, it may come down to how women, particularly moms with kids, are feeling about their financial situations when the books are closed in 2020.
A recent article on the Forbes website points to the spending power of adult women, particularly the 73.5 million that are mothers, as the key to retail success during the holidays. Just how much spending moms do on their kids will be determinative in the end. A Zulily survey of 2,000 American moms cites the desire by many to make this season’s celebrations a bright spot in a year that has disrupted so much of American life. Seventy percent “say they feel pressure to make this holiday season great for their child due to the pandemic.”
Eighty-four percent of those surveyed say their celebrations will reflect “a new normal” brought about by the pandemic and that they are hoping to create new family traditions, including activities such as making their own holiday decorations (51 percent) and writing thank you cards to essential workers on the frontline fight against COVID-19.
One of the new realities of American life in the pandemic that could be a significant drag on holiday sales is the number of women who are unemployed, according to a Washington Post report.
More than two million women have moved out of the workforce this year after choosing or being forced to stay at home due to pandemic-related circumstances. Many must care for children in their households who have been attending school virtually as the number of cases of COVID-19 spikes across the U.S.
The New York Times reports that at least 130,533 new cases and 745 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the U.S. yesterday. The average number of cases per day currently stands at 116,448, up 64 percent from two weeks ago.
- Moms Will Make Or Break Retailers’ Holiday: What She Will Be Shopping For - Forbes
- Zulily Unveils Its First Ever Top Toy List For 2020 To Help Kids Connect, Move and Imagine - Zulily/PRNewswire
- Virtual schooling has largely forced moms, not dads, to quit work. It will hurt the economy for years. - The Washington Post
- Covid in the U.S. - Latest Maps and Case Count – NY Times