Our recent webinar, Holiday Shopping Behavior: What to Expect from Your Customers, utilized data from our Google Consumer Survey to gain valuable insights on how people search and buy products. Our Director of Analytics, Don Rodriguez, walked us through the process starting with our methodology.
Survey Methodology
-
We used the Google Consumer Survey Tool.
-
We surveyed over 1,000 customer.
-
We gathered responses on the week of September 27, 2016.
What Questions Were Asked?
Here is a quick overview of the questions that were asked for our survey.
-
How much of your holiday shopping is already complete?
-
What are you gifting this holiday season?
-
How important is brand name to you when buying a gift?
-
Where are you most likely to buy a holiday gift this season?
-
How many people are you shopping for this holiday season
-
While holiday shopping , I mostly use my mobile device to…
Some Notes
The methodology has some bias relative to the U.S. internet population. Our surveyors tended to skew male and a younger demographic.
Our survey revealed seven insights that you can utilize for a successful holiday season. Continue reading to find out more!
INSIGHT #1)
In late September, one out of four respondents had already started and completed some holiday shopping, while 11% were completely done.
-
Key Takeaway:
-
People have started their holiday shopping earlier than ever. Last year, 20% of people started before October.
-
INSIGHT #2)
57% of people are planning on buying gifts online this year. 15% of them will most likely buy from the retailer’s website while 42% will likely buy from online marketplaces (Amazon, Ebay, etc.). The rest, 42%, are likely to buy in the store.
-
Key Takeaways:
-
Keep your eye on the marketplaces. Marketplaces have taken the lead over the past few years.
-
A 2015 survey of retail executives showed marketplaces will have 40% market share by 2020.
-
Retailers need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of selling through marketplaces.
-
INSIGHT #3)
Marketplaces vs. Retailer Websites. Where do the 1%-ers shop?
Key Takeaways:
-
We found that higher income groups choose Amazon/Marketplaces versus the retailer’s website.
-
This leads to some very important questions. Is retailer brand equity losing the battle for the consumer’s wallet to more choice and lower price? Is convenience of Amazon too much to overcome? I guess we’ll find out.
Watch our full webinar to find out more! We’ll share some more insights with you tomorrow.
