Experts outline expectations for holiday shopping
Yakima, Wash. — In last week’s Reporter’s Notebook, I outlined some indicators that may be key to the upcoming holiday shopping season.
This time around, I turned to three experts to give me their take on what to expect.
* Mary Ann Odegaard, retail management program director and marketing department lecturer at the University of Washington
Odegaard isn’t expecting a full recovery, but she expects improvement this year.
“There are certainly more people in stores now than a year ago,” she said.
Odegaard believes that pent-up demand will come into play this year. Electronics will likely be the main benefactor. A variety of products, such as the iPhone 4, a variety of Android-operated smart phones, the iPad and e-book readers will likely pique shopper interest.
“Electronics have been changing so quickly,” she said. “I think electronics items will be the winners this Christmas.”
But she doesn’t expect national retailers to see sales at 2006-07 levels, especially with unemployment still at high levels.
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