AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The holiday season is upon us already, and if it seems as if each year the season starts earlier and earlier, you would be correct. A new survey conducted by leading savings destination RetailMeNot, in partnership with Kelton Global, reports that consumers are planning to get a big head start on shopping for holiday and winter celebrations. Over half (54%) of shoppers plan to begin shopping for the holidays before the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend this year.

• 45% plan to start shopping before November 1.
• 25% plan to start shopping before October.
• 12% started shopping for the holidays this summer.
• 59% of women plan to begin their holiday shopping before Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, while only 48% of men plan to do the same.

'Tis the Season for Spending

Shoppers are going to be opening their wallets more during the 2017 winter holidays, and those who will spend money on gifts this year plan to spend on average $482. Additionally, consumers plan to spend more this year compared to 2016 on food ($164 vs. $133), lodging ($160 vs. $134) and entertainment ($148 vs. $85) for the winter holidays. This season, those surveyed say they plan to spend an average of $330 for children, $196 for significant others, $105 for parents, $90 for siblings and $57 on best friends.

Deal Seekers Are Getting Savvy!

Even though consumers are willing to spend money this holiday, that doesn't mean they aren't looking for good deals. In fact, 52% of consumers plan to use a deal or offer when purchasing a gift for someone else. And 48% will shop in a store based on the deals they find. To prepare for the holidays, 47% of shoppers are saving money in advance, while 15% are even working overtime ahead of the holidays.

Should You Wait?

Searching for deals year-round is certainly a successful strategy, but shoppers should reconsider making all their purchases at one time, as category deals ebb and flow between October and December. For example:

• A holiday traveler can find a discount, on average, of 33% off during the month of October.
• Rental cars at Budget and Avis can be found for 35% off and up to 40% off daily deals on Expedia.
• Toys, home decor and apparel are deeply discounted early in the season.
• Sites like Overstock and Gilt have up to 70% off.
• Consumers can find electronics and computers at an average of 38 to 40% off from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday and then into the first week of December.

What's Trending on Wish Lists This Year?

• 53% are looking for clothing or shoes.
• 51% are scouting for electronics like the iPhone 8, Google Home, drones and smartwatches.
• 32% are in search of the latest toys like the Hatchimals Surprise, Nerf Rival Nemesis and FurReal Friends.
• 16% of shoppers are going to spend on jewelry.
• 15% are interested in new restaurants/entertainment.
• 15% of consumers prefer to spend on travel.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (https://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) is a leading savings destination connecting consumers with retailers, restaurants and brands, both online and in-store. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers to save money while they shop or dine out. RetailMeNot, Inc. estimates that approximately $4.4 billion in retailer sales were attributable to consumer transactions from paid digital offers in its marketplace in 2016, more than $600 million of which were attributable to its in-store solution. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio of websites and mobile applications includes RetailMeNot.com in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk in the United Kingdom; ma-reduc.com and Poulpeo.com in France; and GiftCardZen.com and Deals2Buy.com in North America. As wholly owned subsidiaries of Harland Clarke Holdings, RetailMeNot and Valassis, a leader in intelligent media delivery, are partnering to connect retailers and consumers through meaningful digital, mobile and print promotions both online and in store.

SOURCE RetailMeNot