WASHINGTON — With only 12 more shopping weekends until Christmas, Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey finds one local group is planning to spend heavily.
D.C. millennials will spend on average $727, above the national average of $658. As they shop, millennials say they want to make their purchases count, meaning they favor stores that share their values and promote diversity.
“Our research suggests that the millennial generation has high expectations when it comes to retailers’ commitment to inclusion and diversity, and those values are influencing their decision-making in choosing one brand over another,” said Jill Standish, Accenture’s senior managing director and head of its retail practice.
Insights gleaned from Accenture’s survey of 500 consumers in 17 major cities provide a glimpse at consumer sentiments heading into the retail industry’s important holiday shopping season. The survey also includes a separate representative sampling of 1,500 shoppers drawn nationally from all age groups.
Nearly 79 percent of D.C. area residents will shop online and 77 percent will shop in a physical store. Social media shopping is on the rise with 18 percent saying they plan to buy gifts based on the likes from Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest – slightly higher than the 15 percent national average.
Nearly two-thirds of District residents say they shop year-round, continuing a trend Accenture noted last year.
The only other place millennials plan to spend more is in New York City.
