Wooing Shoppers Who Would Rather Not Spend

The ripening recession triggered by all the overspending of the last five years has left retailers with a splitting headache--and the holiday parties haven't even started yet.

While early data for last weekend was mildly encouraging, a recent National Retail Federation survey estimated that 3% more consumers are already shopped-out, versus this same time last year.
How to ease the pain? For starters, understand that discounting alone won't get you there. Sure, bargain hunters abound: The same people who recently made investments as if they were on a spree are now approaching their shopping as an investment.
"People who used to love to shop now surf the net to find the best deal," says Mike Moriarity, leader of A.T. Kearney's Consumer and Retail Practice.