Shopper behavior holiday trends

The holiday season is upon us! Not only is this the season of giving, it’s also the most important time for a lot of businesses and brands to thrive as well. But in their latest update, Google notes that instead of the usual 32 shopping days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s that shoppers usually have, we are only given 26 days this year. This just means more pressure on brands to get their name out there as soon as possible. 

However, if you want to look at the bright side of things, overall retail spending last year was a record-breaking, whopping $853B, with the most significant growth attributed to e-commerce sales. These numbers are astounding, to say the very least. This would also entail that this time is more critical than ever for brands to reach and engage shoppers in key moments of their purchase journey.

Here are the top three shopper trends of that brands can expect this year:

#1: They want to be inspired, not perspire 

This point begs marketers to think outside the box. Not only in terms of the products they sell but also how and when they start selling it. They need to keep in mind that shoppers will be looking for inspiration for gifts and personal purchases well before the holidays. With the growing rate of retail consumerism, shoppers are getting smarter. This means that they are definitely on the prowl for deals earlier. Keeping that in mind, Google gives us a good solution in getting ahead of the game: 

#2: Shoppers do it for the thrill 

Some consumers may well be doing their shopping before Black Friday hits, but most people still argue that this day, the biggest in-store sale day in the US offers the best deals – prompting most to wait for the day itself. Nonetheless, what we’re sure of is that shoppers turn to search first before hitting the buy button online or heading over to their local brick-and-mortar stores. According to the search engine giant, the most searched keywords around the Black Friday buzz are “best deals”, “Black Friday deals”, as well as keywords related to rewards apps. 

#3 Time is money 

It’s simple: time is money, so make sure that you give a seamless shopping experience to your customers. Shoppers don’t want to go through the lengthy processes that involve buying things, they want the easiest and fastest way to purchase whatever they want. Google tells us a very interesting fact: most shoppers now prefer the value of being able to shop with autonomy and appreciate a self-service kind of experience. On top of it all, a flexible return policy option will get more people on board. 

As the years pass, the way people shop evolves as well. Gone are the days where Google didn’t exist and people had to physically line up in stores on the day itself. As a business, you need to be aware of the constant changes in shopping trends to prevent missing out on valuable customers around this exciting holiday season. 

Craving more updates on Google? Check out our blog post, Most Common Mistakes People Make While Using Google Ads

Source: 

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/holiday-shopping-behavior-trends/