Consumers Ready to Spend, Favor Local Retailers This Holiday Season
New shopper sentiment and insights from Vericast reveals that consumers expect value, want to spend more and plan to shop locally in-store this holiday season.
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“Last year, lockdowns made in-person shopping challenging. As the world began to open again, people were anxious to get back into their local stores and use online shopping to supplement certain items”
Vericast, a leading marketing solutions company that delivers actionable insights and operational expertise at scale, recently commissioned an online survey of 1,000 people to gauge consumer sentiment and shopping behavior heading into this holiday season.
The survey found that holiday shopping is starting earlier this year due to shipping delays experienced with online shopping last year – 55% plan to shop in person as a result. More than half (60%) prefer to shop at local neighborhood stores and a majority (71%) of consumers agree it’s important to support local stores and restaurants.
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While 63% of consumers found the holiday season last year to be more stressful than previous years, 59% feel optimistic about the upcoming 2021 holiday season. The survey also found that saving money on holiday purchases is a priority — especially as 30% of those who expect they will be spending more than last year are planning to buy more gifts to make up for the 2020 holiday season. Seventy-eight percent of consumers increased their saving behaviors during the pandemic and 84% plan to continue this trend over the next year. This is reflected in consumer holiday shopping plans, with 50% planning to use more coupons for holiday shopping.
“Last year, lockdowns made in-person shopping challenging. As the world began to open again, people were anxious to get back into their local stores and use online shopping to supplement certain items,” said Sarah O’Grady, Vice President of Brand Marketing at Vericast. “With the holiday season upon us, consumers want to make up for lost time after such a disruptive 2020. Retailers can capitalize on this by offering deals and discounts – online and in-store – that make holiday shopping more affordable and meets consumers where they are.”
