SAP survey suggests 60% of consumers might shop in-store this holiday season
The holiday shopping experience is set to undergo quite the transformation, says a new study by SAP. More than two-thirds of the U.S. consumers plan to shop online this year, while 60% also expect to visit brick-and-mortar stores to shop. The findings reveal that consumers will opt for more retail channels this year.
COVID-19 has transformed how we interact with retail and commerce. Mandatory stay-at-home guidelines and social distancing have resulted in consumers choosing convenience over everything else. SAP and Dynata’s recent research that surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers found that 67% plan on shopping online from their mobile devices, including mobile apps (24%), and mobile websites (20%).
Also read: 4 Tips for B2C Marketers To Drive More With Less This Holiday Shopping Season
While it is surprising that a major section of the respondents indicated that they anticipate shopping in-store this holiday season, brands have a terrific opportunity to optimize their interactions with customers and deliver a superior customer experience. They must be able to support customers and help them make their purchases quickly. Brands must also provide a frictionless purchasing experience to promote sales. Consumers could often go through both – online and physical shopping experiences before making the final purchase. So, in the absence of an omnichannel strategy, businesses will miss out on the opportunity to engage and support consumers in the personalized manner they want.
The study also found the top three challenges customers are looking to avoid this year:
- 39% reported that they want to find the products they want to purchase easily
- 20% of respondents said that their top requirement is helpful and prompt customer service
- Most consumers (65%) do not care if they communicate with a human or chatbot, as long as they can get the answer they need quickly.
Also read: 4 Ways Retailers Can Bring the Joy of Holiday Shopping To Ecommerce
2020 has ushered in global change, but customers’ demands have remained the same. They still want convenient and frictionless experiences wherever they decide to shop with a consistent experience across every touchpoint with your brand. The brands that listen to their customers and understand how they want to engage will be able to minimize the chaos of the holiday shopping season and spread some much-deserved joy to their shoppers.
How Can Retailers Prepare for the 2020 Holiday Season?
Gearing up for the 2020 holiday season, retailers need to provide even more immersive shopping experiences to inspire purchases. While conventional wisdom would suggest that consumers are more likely to avoid in-store shopping, recent research proves otherwise, so retailers need to create environments where consumers feel compelled to make the journey from their couch to the store.
Also read: Holiday Shopping Predictions 2020: Consumers Will Spend 1B Hours on Mobile
Marketers could take a page out of successful retail campaigns like the one by Home Depot, where they’re tapping into mobile shopping audiences by offering early access to seasonal deals directly within their app.
Retailers can also personalize digital experiences by examining shopper analytics and store performance metrics. For example, during a holiday season, when a higher proportion of consumers are likely to shop online, analyzing historical in-store traffic patterns for high-demand areas helps retailers optimize their ecommerce experiences with hyperlocal, seasonal data. Typical ecommerce analytics platforms can shed light on the paths to purchase for online-first shoppers during a Black Friday rush.
Despite the pandemic and changing customer behaviors, some retail elements remain the same. Ecommerce is projected to become more dominant, however, that in no way indicates that in-store purchases will become insignificant anytime soon. After all, consumers want a more comprehensive retail experience across channels – they want better service, access to products, and flexible checkout options, regardless of whether these journeys take place online offline.