What Does Your Holiday Shopper Expect?

The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating digitization. According to firsthand data polled directly from consumers by NetElixir, nearly 53% of respondents noted that they shopped online more than 7 times between March 2020 and July 2020. Why did these consumers turn to online shopping? Most respondents favored the time saving and shipping convenience of online shopping, followed by store closures. With Google Shopping boosting visibility of product inventories ‘near me’ to better encourage BOPIS and curbside options, online shopping becomes even more convenient for consumers.

Overall, 73% of all respondents from NetElixir’s survey have an average to high level of comfort buying from a new brand — these potential customers just need the right opportunity to find your business. As these consumers are shopping almost equally on mobile (37.2% of respondents primarily shop on mobile) and desktop (37.9%), creating a seamless online experience across all devices is crucial to capturing these new shoppers. A very user-friendly online experience will ease in those new-to-online shoppers who are still learning about the digital world.

ECommerce businesses have an enormous potential to attract new customers, which encourages a promising start to the holiday season and a chance for retailers strategically grow their digital presence. This holiday, entice shoppers to try something new by expanding your digital footprint and placing targeted ads where your audience is searching and shopping.

2020 online shopping consumer insights — Survey respondents answering *How comfortable do you feel completing a purchase from a new retail brand online that you haven’t purchased from in-store?*

For more insights polled directly from consumers, download NetElixir’s new ebook. Along the Road to Recovery: How the Coronavirus Pandemic Reshaped ECommerce Trends and Online Shopping Behavior details four months of ecommerce data and strategic perspectives from academic and industry thought leaders to guide retailers to a better holiday season strategy.

Learning Who Your Holiday Shopper Is

The pandemic holiday shopper is going to be different than any other holiday shopper before. Because there is so much uncertainty surrounding the holiday season and how customers will shop, Google notes that the retailer who responds the most quickly will probably be the most successful. The 2020 holiday retailer needs to be nimble and adaptable, while constantly learning more about how, where, and why their customers are shopping and searching. NetElixir’s proprietary customer analytics platform, LXRInsights, humanizes every click by giving real-time data on how users are interacting with your website. This holiday season, the most popular products and categories people are shopping for, as well as when and where they are shopping, are changing dramatically from prior years.

McKinsey’s customer sentiment reports show a higher and lasting intent to shop online, even after the pandemic subsides, especially among millennials. Digital shopping will be a huge factor of the new normal.

Consumers are focused on getting the most value for what they spend and prioritizing essential goods. Initial consumerism resurgence in early August centered on self-pampering luxury items and sales, finds UPS Longitudes. While this trend is not sustainable, the category of self love will probably feature prominently in the holiday season as customers seek to treat themselves and their loved ones to comfort items.

Product availability and shipping information drives what consumers buy, severing loyalty ties (though brand loyalty isn’t completely dead if it’s cultivated right). Ensure your website is updated regularly; if you have a strong social media presence, use stories for quick updates to keep customers informed about new deliveries, what’s out of stock, and shipping issues. Showing some behind-the-scenes of inventory and packaging can go a long way in humanizing your business this holiday season, while keeping customers in the loop.

However, each retailer and marketer needs to understand who their own unique customers are, as well as their behaviors and preferences. Catering to and helping your customers will help you better navigate this holiday season.