How The Pandemic May Affect Holiday Shopping

When you visualize the beginning of the holiday season, whether you’re anything like me, you typically envision shoppers lining up at the mall before dawn for sales on Black Friday or running to malls in the days before December 25th. Yet we know this year’s shopping is going to be very different.

For example, more than one third of U.S. shoppers who typically shop for Black Friday in store claim they would not this year rather they are much interested in online Black Friday Offers because people strongly believe it’s the best way to shop by maintaining social distance .

1. With that half of U.S. buyers believe the pandemic would influence how they would buy for this year’s holidays. This makes it difficult for stores to prepare as they usually will, at a period when a prosperous season is badly needed by many. Rather, this festive season is as to who will react more quickly.

2. To help retailers plan and respond this season, we have insights and resources available in our 2020 retail guide, and, in June, we surveyed global consumers to better understand how the coronavirus pandemic will impact their holiday shopping. This year, here’s how people expect to buy differently.

3. People will discover online and buy even more. The holidays are a season of historically intense online shopping. 78 percent of U.S. festive shoppers utilized three or more outlets the last year to conduct their seasonal shopping, and 58 percent of shopper-reported sales were made online.

4. We anticipate these figures to rise this year, as nearly 75 percent of U.S. shoppers planning to purchase this winter said they would buy online more for the festivities than they did compared to earlier seasons, and a comparable percentage said they would order online more for the christmas than they did in earlier seasons.

5. That implies that it will be important for retailers to be available online. To make your goods searchable, on online stores and Search in the U.S., you can display them in discount coupons lists. In designing their platforms for speed and user interface, companies can also plan for more internet traffic. By helping you make your goods available to buy exclusively on our sites with no commission charge, we also support retailers.

6. Well before customers arrived at a supermarket, the in-store shopping experience also begun before the pandemic. Today, when affordability and local convenience have become a necessity, this is even truer. In fact, 67% of buyers said that they intend to check online that a product is in stock before buying it.

7. Plus, over the last year, queries for “available near me” have increased globally by more than 100%, underlining the value of reliable inventory details. Ensure that the data is up-to – date and conveniently available with support from nearby inventory advertisements to minimize the trial and error for shoppers.

8. Given that the rising consumer desire for purchasing locally is sure to persist into the festivities and even beyond, it will be imperative to consider local purchasing intent, particularly because 66 percent of shoppers say they intend to buy more at local small businesses.
9. With resources such as local promotions to meet customers near your shops, through multiple sites, consider supplying consumers with the best facts about items offered at your supermarket, working hours, and health and safety policies.

10. When shoppers determine that they are prepared to buy in the supermarket, it is no wonder that protection is a core problem. This suggests that “in-store” shopping may look different this year, when choices such as curbside delivery and contactless purchases are the norm. As proof, 53 percent of shoppers preparing to shop this holiday said they would choose to shop in shops offering contactless shopping.

11. The appetite for in-store shopping is expected to vary during the season, with individuals likely preferring to buy during less volume-heavy cycles. Our survey showed that 70% of shoppers said they expect to schedule their shopping early to escape queues, and 80% of scheduled shoppers are going to consolidate their shopping to allow less visits than they had done in earlier years.

12. As digital and in-store sales can definitely fluctuate, retailers can ensure their digital campaigns stay flexible in order to reach consumers when they feel relaxed and when they feel at ease. One way to achieve this is by using intelligent automation, like Smart Bidding for store visits.
13. It is observed there will be more online shopping of gifts and there will be an increase in egift cards. Also to maintain social distancing people are not comfortable in instore shopping.

CONCLUSION

Although this festive season is one which we will all be following carefully, it is useful to know that consumers with a digital-first mentality will consider and spend. This year, to stick out, make sure you give people the details they need and the interaction they want.