Retail Study Suggests Convenience, Clearance & e-commerce Top Female Shoppers' Holiday List

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - December 4, 2007) - Retailers hoping for that extra boost in holiday sales might need to pay extra attention to convenience, clearance and e-commerce. A retail study by Experian Research Services suggests that these categories top the list of female shoppers this season.

Download free map, highlighting online female spending behavior across the U.S. from Experian Research Services: www.smrb.com/retailers.

According to Chris Wilson, president of Experian Research Services, retailers can leverage e-commerce by targeting local markets where online shopping is high. "Retailers in Atlanta should know that approximately 420,000 local women are shopping online. By targeting these consumers directly and understanding their buying behaviors, stores have the potential to generate a higher holiday sales volume this season," explained Wilson.

For retailers in markets where online shopping isn't as substantial, stores need to make convenience their No. 1 priority. "Fifty-two percent of women shop stores because of their convenient location and 73 percent say that a store's environment makes a difference in whether or not they shop there," said Wilson. "Additionally, 50 percent of women go straight for the clearance rack when shopping. Understanding these behaviors is critical this season," said Wilson.

Listen to Gary Warech, vice president of Experian Research Services business development, offer advice on how retailers can better understand their target consumer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR3Sn3oVFKo

Experian Local Market Services delivers twice as many markets, three times the consumer data (60,000+ data variables) and sample sizes five times larger than competitive offerings. Its services include targeted consumer and business marketing lists, geographic mapping analysis, local market consumer research and geographic/socio-economic segmentation. (For more details, visit us at www.smrb.com).

Experian Research Services: The mission of the group is to enable clients to optimize communications with their customers and prospects across multiple channels by providing a robust description of the American Consumer. Experian Research Services operates: Simmons (a full service, consumer research organization that has been The Voice of the American Consumer for over 50 years) and Vente, a real-time online quality lead generation service. In 2006, Experian Research Services was ranked the fastest growing market research company by Jack Honomichl, the leading market research industry authority.

Contact Information: For more information contact Valerie Jennings 816.221.1040