Retailers Get Ready: Survey Shows COVID-19 Impact Hasn’t Disrupted Consumer Holiday Shopping Plans
Radial, the leader in omnichannel commerce technology and operations, today announced the results of a consumer insights study which surveyed 1,000+ consumers across the United States to determine their holiday shopping plans. Radial uncovered that despite the impact of COVID-19, shoppers do not plan to significantly change their holiday spend compared to 2019. However, the data did reveal a stronger preference for online shopping, with 66% of shoppers anticipating they will increase their online purchases during the 2020 holiday season.
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While consumers are shopping more online, the survey found their habits aren’t changing significantly in terms of how much they plan to spend on holiday gifts and when they plan to buy. This means the 2020 holiday season will look as busy as ever – and even more hectic when it comes to the demands on ecommerce driving the need for scalability amongst retailers. This could spell disaster for many retailers and brands who have been facing incredibly high levels of ecommerce demand ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 but have not prepared to offset that demand and scale through omnichannel solutions.
“The 2020 holiday season will reward omnichannel retailers. Instead of the recurring and seasonal demand cycles retailers are used to, in the wake of COVID-19, brands must contend with consistent high demand for ecommerce year-round. This year, peak season levels essentially started in March,” said Tim Hinckley, Chief Commercial Officer for Radial. “Retailers must leverage unique strategies like using stores as fulfillment centers and creative order management techniques paired with advanced technology in order to keep deliveries flowing by embracing curbside pickup and other emerging consumer expectations.”
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