What will holiday shopping look like this year?

If it feels like the holiday season is getting longer and more reliant on technology every year, you’re not imagining it.

According to a holiday consumer survey, 52% of respondents already started or plan to start their holiday shopping before November, and pre-Labor Day holiday shopping more than doubled over 2021. That said, the top busiest shopping days in the United States are all expected between Black Friday and the day after Christmas.

Whether shoppers are making a list and checking it twice as early in the season as possible or waiting until the last minute, they are also likely to be thinking of all the ways to shop, including integrating digital options with a traditional brick-and-mortar experience, both which offer key consumer benefits.

“The past couple years have fundamentally changed the way we celebrate the holidays, starting with how we shop,” a global leader of marketing says. “This year, shoppers are using the very same tools they once turned to for health and safety reasons to make the experience more convenient and affordable.”

Sixty-four percent of respondents cited convenience as their top reason for using buy-onlinepickup- in-store (BOPIS) or curbside pickup this holiday season, while 37% are leveraging these options to access online-exclusive deals. Shoppers are also blurring the lines between the digital and physical shopping experiences, using their phones while in stores to read product reviews, access coupons, check on product availability and conduct other research — 27% use their phones to supplement their shopping experience every time they shop in-store and an additional 31% do so most of the time they shop in-store.

“While the majority of shoppers feel very comfortable making their holiday purchases in-store this year, factors like price, product availability and convenience are at the top of everyone’s minds,” the marketing professional says. “A combination of traditional brickand- mortar visits and alternative shopping methods, such as BOPIS and curbside pickup, are helping consumers take these factors into consideration as they complete their holiday wish lists.”

As part of their mission to solve complex retail challenges, marketing consultants are providing their top strategies to improve your holiday shopping experience:

• If staying within your seasonal budget is a priority for you or you harbor supply chain concerns, consider leveraging shopping holidays such as Black Friday. Doing so can help ensure product availability, and thanks to holiday promotions, help you secure reasonable pricing on needed items.

• One of the most frustrating aspects of holiday shopping is not finding what you need on store shelves. Using alternative shopping methods such as BOPIS and curbside pickup can offer greater convenience and help ensure that when you visit a store, you won’t leave empty-handed.

Though this holiday season may resemble the last few years in many ways, shoppers’ motivations for going digital have changed. Having a game plan can help you score great deals and find what you need.

— StatePoint Media