Consumers to start holiday shopping early - are you ready?

It may well be warm and back-to-school sales are front of mind, but Christmas is looming. However, while Christmas is four months away, holiday shopping is already at the forefront of many consumers' minds.

According to RetailMeNot.com's recent survey, 39% of respondents will start their holiday shopping before November, the beginning of which is just over nine weeks away. Women (46%) are more likely than men (31%) to start their shopping earlier than November.

Of the remaining respondents 23% said they will start shopping in early November, 12% will wait to start shopping until Black Friday/Cyber Monday and only 15% will wait until after Cyber Monday to begin shopping.

The majority of respondents think the economy is in bad shape and 1 in 4 think it will be tough to get all they need over the coming months. It's no surprise, then, that coupons and deals will be a major draw in the run-up to festivities.

"Our most recent survey looked at how consumers plan to shop for the remainder of the year. We believe a lackluster economy combined with high demand for discounts while shopping will lead to more frequent and higher first-time use of coupons over time," said Kristen Remeza, editor-in-chief of RetailMeNot Insider.

And don't forget mobile websites. There's little doubt that more consumers than ever before will be shopping from their couch this holiday season. Those who have yet to optimize their website for mobile should make this one of their top priorities.

Tags: Christmas, consumer insight, consumer spending, coupons, ecommerce, economy, holiday shopping