Procrastination is the hot trend among Americans this holiday season.

According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, 17 percent of Americans have not begun shopping for Christmas a week before the holiday, while less than one-third had wrapped up all their shopping.

So, what exactly is the holdup? About 45 percent claim they're waiting because they believe stores will "offer better prices just before the holidays," while 43 percent think they can buy everything they need at the last minute on the internet. Roughly 50 percent believe they can wait out doing their Christmas shopping because of fast shipping.

Shipping is a major reason selling point for consumers, too. A total of 31 percent of people will buy something only if it ships for free, while 32 percent say companies need to offer same-day shipping.

Businesses looking to rake in big profits during the holiday season may do well to listen to the pleas of their customers when it comes to their last-minute tendencies and cries for free shipping -- nearly half of all respondents said they're just too darned busy to go shopping.

 

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