Holiday 2010 Shopping Trends: Surgical, Social and Sumptuous

The Rise of the Surgical Shopper
Consumer spending has been steadily increasing in November, driven by the fact that shoppers know exactly what they want and where to get it. Consumers are spending less time on retail websites and visiting fewer stores than they did last year. This indicates they have a specific item in mind for purchase, and then quickly move on to the next site. However, less time spent browsing doesn't necessarily mean smaller purchases. Although average session length is down, average order values are up from 2009 by $20 ($177 in 2009, $197 in 2010 for the same week).