Holiday 2015 Takeaways

• Pre-Thanksgiving sales siphon sales and traffic out of brick-and-mortar stores.

• More consumers research online and create shopping lists for efficient and faster shopping and less browsing and fewer impulse purchases.

• Online and mobile sales generate double-digit gains to offset business declines at stores.

• Toys, ath-leisure and activewear, boots, comforters, small kitchen appliances, drones and TVs pace holiday sales; outerwear weak due to unseasonably warm weather in much of the East and Midwest.

• Consumer spending shifts to big-ticket items including autos, as well as to restaurants, spas and other experiences, with less going to apparel.