Holiday shoppers are off to a slow start this year, with most consumers (71.4 percent), particularly those ages 18-24, having less than 10 percent of their holiday shopping completed, according to the National Retail Federation's (NFR) 2007 Holiday Consumer Intentions Survey, conducted by Big Research.

"Good news lies ahead for many retailers whose shoppers have yet to put a dent in their shopping lists," NRF President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Mullin said in a statement. "Now that the weather has started to cool, consumers will start to think about holiday shopping by making lists, researching gift ideas and window shopping around town."

According to the survey, which polled 7,982 consumers from Oct. 31-Nov. 7, most shoppers plan to buy clothing or clothing accessories (57.2 percent) and books, CDs, DVDs, videos or video games (57.1 percent) for loved ones this holiday season. Gift cards continue to top gift lists with 56.6 percent of consumers saying they plan to buy them this year. Other popular items include toys (43.1 percent) and consumer electronic or computer-related accessories (29.2 percent).

"Retailers have tried to entice consumers into the stores with early sales and promotions this holiday season, but shoppers are clearly on their own schedule," Big Research Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. "Because gift cards are never out of stock, consumers feel they can wait until the last minute to start shopping. Retailers may continue to wrestle with the best ways to bring people into the stores early this year."

The survey also shows that a majority of shoppers (40.1 percent) will rely on debit and check cards to make purchases this holiday season, up from 39.1 percent last year. In addition, about a third of holiday shoppers (32.3 percent) will primarily use credit cards for holiday purchases. As electronic transactions begin to replace traditional methods of payment, only 5.5 percent of shoppers plan on using their checkbook, and 22.1 percent will use cash.