DUTCHPOTMailcast - It’s not too early to start thinking about holiday marketing — in fact, according to Brandweek, retailers and manufacturers who don’t start thinking now may not make their Christmas 2007 numbers. The Consumer Confidence Index indicated a sharp decline in confidence this season, thanks in part to the housing market/credit crisis and increasing fuel costs. Store traffic is down, and smart retailers are decreasing inventory to avoid markdowns later. Reuters recommends you “temper your projections”, like Target and Talbots are doing.

The good news? The season will be great for online shopping, with 84 percent of consumers spending as much or more online as they did during the 2006 holiday season.