The MedeliaMonitor™ Shopping Survey found that the 2006 holiday season should be a good one for most retailers.

30% of shoppers plan to increase their holiday spending by 10% or more over their 2005 spending levels.

When retail shopping, the most important considerations when selecting the particular stores to patronize include: stores where the prices are clearly marked, noted by 86%; where a full range of colors and sizes are available (80%) and where the advertised items are in stock (79%).

Relatively few shoppers (30%) try to negotiate better deals.

Shoppers tell us that two buying styles predominate. More than two in five (43%) reported that they’re willing to pay full retail if they absolutely love the item while over one-third (34%) told us they only buy sale items.