Nearly half of respondents (43%) have already started or plan to start their holiday shopping as early as October according to the results of Sensormatic Solutions 2020 Holiday Consumer Survey of more than 1,000 US consumers.
Other key findings include:
- 65% of respondents indicated that they are very concerned or concerned about shopping in-store this holiday season.
- 80% of respondents said they would use buy-online, ship-to-home services this holiday shopping season.
- This was followed by in-store shopping (39%) and other fulfillment services like buy-online, pickup-in-store (BOPIS) (33%) or buy-online, curbside-pickup (33%).
“Despite concerns about COVID-19, many consumers still plan to shop in-store this holiday season and others will take advantage of services like BOPIS or curbside,” said Kim Melvin, global leader of marketing for Sensormatic Solutions. “For in-store shopping, this requires retailers to provide their customers with a safe and comfortable experience. Real-time occupancy tracking solutions can help by not only ensuring retailers comply with social distancing guidelines, but also optimizing cleaning schedules for high-touch areas and providing a better understanding of staffing needs both inside and outside the store.”
Consumers Shop In-store to Browse Before They Buy
When consumers shop in-store, they will be doing so primarily to engage with merchandise before making a purchase. Almost a half (43%) of respondents are shopping in-store to browse for gift ideas and 39% are doing so to see or touch products in-person before buying them. Only 4% of respondents are shopping in-store to get advice from sales associates.
Of those who will be shopping in-store:
- Nearly three quarters (72%) plan on doing so at free-standing stores or strip centers.
- Almost half plan to shop at enclosed malls (49%), outlets (49%), and open-air shopping centers (46%).
Additionally, more than one quarter of consumers (27%) said they are most likely to shop in-store on weekdays this holiday season, compared to 16% who plan to shop on the weekends. This confirms the data observed in Sensormatic Solutions annual ShopperTrak list of the top busiest shopper traffic days for the 2020 holiday season.
Apparel and Electronics Expected to See High Demand
Consumers expect to spend most of their holiday shopping budget on clothing/apparel (65%), electronics (51%), and toys, books and other media (44%). When asked a similar question about what categories they shopped for in a July survey, only 30% said apparel and only 20% said electronics. Despite the pandemic, these two categories will continue to make up a large portion of many consumers’ holiday shopping list.
To learn how Sensormatic Solutions is supporting the retail industry’s urgent COVID-19 needs this holiday season, click here. For more Sensormatic Solutions’ holiday insights, follow along on Twitter using #SensormaticHolidays2020.
Survey Methodology
Sensormatic Solutions collected responses from 1,000 US-based consumers, 18 years and older, via a third-party provider to determine findings of its 2020 Holiday Consumer Sentiment Survey. Responses were collected between September 4–5, 2020.