Consumer fears fear a lot more than a tight budget this holiday season. Most consumers are wondering if it's a good idea to go out to malls of being exposed to the virus which has been publicized globally over the last 12 months. Nearly one in five consumers say their concern over the H1N1 flu will cause them to avoid shopping on traditionally busy retail days during the 2009 holiday season.
Morpsace, a research and consulting firm, recently surveyed consumers about their H1N1 swine flu concerns related to the upcoming holiday shopping season. Nearly one in five consumers say their concern over the H1N1 flu will cause them to avoid shopping on traditionally busy retail days during the 2009 holiday season.
"This is especially true for women (22 percent) compared to men (14 percent)," said Morpace Vice President of Retail Services Tom McGoldrick.
"The impact of nearly a quarter of women not shopping on days like the Friday after Thanksgiving would have a significant impact on the revenue of retailers this year," McGoldrick said. "We'll see if that means consumers will spread out their shopping days over a longer period of time or if they reduce the amount of shopping they do at traditional brick-and-mortar stores."
The study also found that respondents in households with a total income of $100,000 or more are significantly more likely to say that fears of the H1N1 flu will not affect their holiday shopping when compared to respondents with household incomes of $50,000 or less. Some reasons for this may include:
* A greater sense of invulnerability among high income shoppers
* More knowledge about the H1N1 flu virus among high income shoppers
* The greater likelihood of high income shoppers having healthcare coverage
* Low-income consumers being more financially vulnerable if required to take sick days
More people may decide to take advantage of online shopping deals this holiday season because they fear that being in a crowded shopping mall or store may expose them to the H1N1 swine flu virus.
More H1N1 Swine Flu articles:
H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Risks
Tylenol May Reduce Effectiveness of H1N1 Vaccine
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