CHICAGO—The holidays can be stressful for many people, but retailers have the added pressure of knowing that how well they compete for shoppers' dollars in the next few weeks can make or break their year. And this holiday season, experts anticipate that shoppers will spend $981 to $986 billion, a roughly 4.5% increase over last year's total.

JLL has just published its 2014 Holiday Sentiment Report, which includes feedback from about 800 largely national or global retailers in the shopping centers it manages across the US, and the data show that even though retailers are optimistic, many also believe the competition will be fierce and getting their fair share will require tremendous effort.

Nearly one third of respondents, for example, stated that their stores will open on Thanksgiving Day. Furthermore, many retailers plan to open up very early on Black Friday to capture as many dollars as possible from the early spenders. Shoppers spend about 70% of their money in the first two stores they visit, according to a November report for MasterCard cited by JLL, making it crucial to get those first shoppers in the doors.

But even though 30% of consumers will spend 50% of their total holiday funds on Black Friday weekend, according to the 2014 Holiday Retail Spending Report by CFI Group, JLL researchers say the retailers they surveyed “will keep fighting until the very last minute, by offering special pricing and deals throughout the season.”

“If early openings, severe markdowns and blitz deals weren't working, retailers wouldn't still be doing them,” says Greg Maloney, president and chief executive officer of JLL's retail division. “To capture consumers this season, retailers are going beyond door-busters to prioritize shopping convenience through product distribution channels and customer service.”

The company's survey revealed three main strategies that plan to use to woo consumers this season:

1. Enhance Purchasing Ease: For shoppers who hate the hassle of poking through a brick-and-mortar store, nearly 40% of respondents will offer both online ordering andin-store pick-up services. JLL's national brick-and-mortar clients expect that 10% to 15% of their online sales will be picked up in-store.
2. Convenience is Key: To compete with online merchants, more than one-third of respondents said they will use in-store distribution facilities to offer free shipping and/or ship-from-store to consumers during the holidays. Reportedly retail giants Macy's and Bloomingdale's have already adjusted their inventory systems to allow online customers to pick up purchases at the most convenient store.
3. Customer Service Matters: To ease customers' experience, more than 95% of respondents stated their staffing during the holidays will remain the same or increase compared to last year, and nearly 40% state they will increase staffing by up to 15%.

“Our lives are getting busier and shopper expectations have changed profoundly, and you can guarantee that's impacting how retailers compete this year,” says Karen Raquet, director of national retail property services at JLL. “We predict e-commerce will grow three times faster than overall sales during the next four years, and it will rise from six percent of total sales up to 12% by 2017. It is incumbent upon the retail industry to keep pace both online and offline, especially during this critical holiday season.”