Brand intelligence leader, Red Points, released a national study, which reveals U.S. shoppers’ sentiment around holiday shopping this year. The study, conducted in September, outlines how imperative it is for brands to approach Black Friday and the 2020 holiday shopping season with heightened awareness of illegitimate sellers infiltrating trusted e-commerce channels and threats of counterfeits—as these risks are substantially higher for online shopping, as compared to brick-and-mortar retail.
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“Piracy and counterfeiting affected our company in a number of ways, but the most obvious one was consumer confusion”
This Black Friday will be unlike any other and will almost certainly set precedence for how retailers approach Black Friday, holiday sales events and doorbuster deals well beyond the pandemic. Amid a global health crisis, shoppers have reasons to avoid jam-packed stores and crowds—but still expect to snag deeply discounted merchandise. With the expected domination of online shopping this holiday, retailers must take all precautions necessary to safeguard their brand reputation throughout Q4.
“At a time when businesses are looking to recoup recent losses, ensuring brand protection will be essential to protecting retailers’ bottom line this holiday shopping season,” said Daniel Shapiro, VP of strategic partnerships and brand relationships. “Many shoppers are feeling financial strain induced by the pandemic. As a result, consumers will be more budget conscious this year, making it more likely they’ll turn to counterfeiters—which can be devastating for brands.”
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Red Points’ following findings illustrate how online shopping continues to grow significantly and what this means for brands going forth.
- 65 percent of shoppers are likely to spend more online for Black Friday this year than the previous year.
- Shoppers are planning to spend an average of $289 online on Black Friday this year.
- 70 percent are planning on shopping at online marketplaces (i.e., Amazon and eBay).
- 28 percent say price is the most important factor in making online purchase decisions.
- 57 percent of shoppers are looking to buy clothes and accessories, 25 percent tech and electronics and 22 percent toys and games.
Counterfeiters and infringers pose a monetary and reputational threat to brands and ecommerce platforms. Although counterfeits are not the fault of the brand, people are less likely to give brands a second chance after purchasing a counterfeit product, as indicated by these survey results:
- 26 percent of respondents have purchased counterfeits on Black Friday.
- Only 20 percent of respondents said they would use a counterfeit product after finding out it was fake.
- More than half of respondents claimed they would ask for a refund.
- Almost half of respondents who have bought fakes would write cautionary reviews about where they purchased it from.
- 25 percent of respondents think removing counterfeits should be done by the brand.
- More than 40 percent of respondents would complain to the original brand.
“Piracy and counterfeiting affected our company in a number of ways, but the most obvious one was consumer confusion,” said Evan Feldstein, vice general manager and general counsel of beauty-tech brand FOREO. “Thanks to Red Points, we managed to restore our customers’ trust by taking down 22,000 listings while removing over $2.5 million worth of counterfeits.”
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