Yes, the calendar reads November 7. And holiday shopping is well underway. Really! This continues the early holiday shopping trend. Here, we study online holiday shopping 2018.
This represents our first post on holiday shopping 2018. With more to come!
The Outlook for Online Holiday Shopping 2018
As Krista Garcia reports for eMarketer:
“We know Thanksgiving week has become integral to holiday sales. A new Salesforce study estimates that 40% of holiday digital revenue will occur during “Cyber Week.” That includes the period spanning the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.”
“According to a July 2018 survey by Bazaarvoice, a majority of U.S. Internet users buy gifts on Black Friday (53%). And 40% of Internet users said they buy most of their gifts on holiday sales days like Cyber Monday.”
“Concerning digital behavior, 89% shop online for the holidays. And 56% of those shoppers buy more than half of their gifts digitally. Most (57%) foresee similar levels of online holiday shopping in 2018 as 2017. But 30% of shoppers plan on buying more online this year. Avoiding crowds (65%) and saving time (62%) vied for the leading reasons to shop online vs. in-store.”
Below, the eMarketer chart sums up expected online 2018 holiday shopping. Where will YOU shop this holiday season? And when will you start shopping? Happy hunting! Shop smart! 🙂
The statistics do not surprise me. I am one of those consumers that does my holiday shopping during “Cyber Week”. Mainly on Black Friday when they have the best deals, consumers will rush to their favorite stores to do their shopping for others and themselves for the holidays. 89 percent online shop to avoid the lines and inconvenience to drive to the stores. I am going to be one of the 89 percent to shop online for those reasons.
It makes a lot of sense why the majority of people prefer to shop online for the holidays. From someone who works in retail, I know for a fact that this time of year is the craziest to go shopping. It consists of packed, messy stores and not enough sales associates to help with everyones requests. Also, things tend to sell out quickly and retailers simply cannot predict their supply well enough. It is a lot easier to sit by your computer at home and browse the internet in search of holiday gifts for your friends and family. Another reason why it is beneficial to shop online is because often times certain stores alter their websites for the holiday season to include a separate section devoted to gift ideas and popular products people have been buying. By going into a store, it is up to you to be creative and pick out the gifts you want while online gives you an advantage at doing so.
These statistics make a lot of sense as deals over the internet have only gotten better as well as it being much more convenient for many people. Black Friday is always depicted as a free for all and people getting trampled and just being an overall stressful experience. Online shopping is just so much easier for many and some deals last longer than in store as well.
I can relate to the majority, where most people want to shop online instead of dealing with in-store crowds. Online shopping is more efficient and accessible. Companies have been marketing more towards online deals and plus if there is a good return policy, then it is appealing to consumers. There are also many choices of a product online that are easier to see and choose from.
The data results on online shopping being preferred for this holiday season is expected because today online shopping is becoming more popular than physically going to the store. Online shopping is easier and more efficient than shopping in store because, there is typically more of a selection and it can be done from the comfort of ones home. Companies have also acknowledged this and have had more online deals and coupons. I also personally prefer online shopping because its faster than going to the mall and I can avoid lines and the crowd which are especially bad on black Friday.
I am not surprised that the holiday shopping discussion is already in full swing in the beginning of November. I feel as though every year holiday shopping begins earlier and earlier, especially when it comes to online shopping. Online shopping has become incredibly convenient and popular for shoppers and even more so with holiday shopping. I personally am not a big online shopper through out the year, but this is the first year that I am already planning on shopping online for much of my holiday spending and I am not surprised by the steady increase of people holiday shopping online.
I have personally never been out shopping on Black Friday particularly because I know how hectic the stores can get and that there is little chance I will find good parking. It is easier to just do my holiday shopping online from the comfort of my couch. Oftentimes, I can even find better deals when I shop online. I will continue to do my holiday shopping online due to the fact that it is just generally easier.
I definitely think that as we progress technologically, more and more shopping for the holidays will be done online. I have noticed over the past several years that as “cyber week” rolls around deals seem to be better online than they are in store. Also along with shopping online there is a greater variety to select from. In addition to that, I feel as if why people are moving towards online shopping is because it is less of a hassle than leaving their homes at 12 am in the freezing cold weather to try to fight over a product with another shopper. With online shopping customers are able to enjoy the holiday with their family as well as purchasing items at a cheap price at the comfort of their own home.
I’m not surprised that most of people’s holiday shopping takes place during “cyber week.” That is the week where there are supposed to be the best and most amount of sales. Technology has definitely made it easier to purchase items and not have to be bothered with crowds and tons of people.
Speaking of online shopping being less messy than in-store shopping, does anyone here watch the footage of people being trampled, sometimes to death, on black friday by herds of people going into Wal-mart? I think events like this have made people shop online simply because there is less human interaction, and with it, less competition and safety hazards. This does beg the question, though, of how stressed are online companies like Amazon.com when Christmas season rolls around?