I don’t know about you, but I am nowhere near completing my holiday shopping. In my defense, I aim to finish up in Kansas City so as to not travel with too many gifts. Not surprisingly, my email inbox this month has been filling up with releases about holiday shopping statistics. I’ve been waiting (procrastinating?) until something really sparked my attention to do some sort of holiday shopping post. Apparently I’m not the only person who waits until the last minute to accomplish tasks. A survey from America’s Research Group (ARG) indicates that one fourth of American consumers are planning to complete their shopping just before Christmas. The reason for procrastination? The hunt for better sales.

According to the ARG survey, 95 percent of those waiting to shop are holding out for greater discounts.  Of the shoppers waiting until right before the holiday, 33 percent want to see 70 percent marked off, 32 percent want to see 60 percent off, and 25 percent want to see 50 percent off.  Britt Beemer, the founder and chief executive officer of ARG, remarks that the expectations for discounting is higher than in previous years.

Another interesting statistic I found comes from a comScore survey about social media’s influence on holiday shopping. According to the survey, 28 percent of online shoppers say that Twitter or Facebook had some sort of influence on their purchases. Additionally, comScore reports that holiday spending hit $16 billion for the first 36 days of the November-December shopping season. That represents a 3 percent gain from the dismal time last year.

Have you used social networking to aid in your holiday shopping this year? I admit that @sephora had a bit to do with an in-store purchase the other day. The retail handle posted something about “great gifts under $20,” so I checked out their online store, and then decided some in-person browsing was necessary. After heading to the 34th Street location on my lunch break, I ended up purchasing a make-up set for my cousin. And the greatest part? When I returned to my desk after my impromptu Sephora excursion, I had an email from them, thanking me for my purchase and giving me a $15 off coupon for next time. Sephora has a pretty impressive loyalty system. I definitely will be back — and that next purchase will likely be a gift… for me.

What facet of social networks do you find most useful when it comes to online shopping? Are you apt to follow a company or become a fan if the retailer offers discounts or promotions on its Facebook or Twitter page? Or are you mostly in it for the peer reviews?

THIS JUST IN: Sephora must have some crazy intuition because I just got another email from them, reminding me of my $15 off coupon. Well played, Sephora… Well played.