A recent survey by Retail New Zealand has found some shops are opting out of the Christmas festivities.
According to the results, 25 per cent of stores are forgoing the holiday decorations because it's become too expensive.
Retail New Zealand’s Greg Harford says, "It was a surprise to us, but that’s mainly because they were either stores where Christmas decorations aren’t going to help boost sales, or perhaps they are new businesses where they want to invest in people and stock rather than extra decorations."
Of the stores which do put up decorations for the silly season, 45 percent have opted for a Kiwi summer theme.
While some stores aren’t readily spreading the Christmas cheer, marketing experts say decorations do influence how we shop.
Dr Sommer Kapitan, a marketing lecturer at Massey University, says, "The decorations, music, lights, sounds, the red and green everywhere – all of that serves as a reminder to buy."
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