Online holiday shopping in 2020
Salesforce predicts that because of COVID-19 as much as 30% of global holiday retail sales will be online holiday shopping in 2020. That’s more than double the 14% in 2019.
2020 has been a tumultuous year that has changed consumer behavior in so many significant ways. Online holiday shopping is certainly one of them.
Here are 30 startling stats on online holiday shopping in 2020.
What the great majority of us do this year
- 93% of the biggest spenders, Millennials aged 24-35, plan to shop between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And they spend an average of $419.52 per person.
- 85% of Gen Z go on social media to learn about new products.
- 77% of US holiday shoppers say they browse for gift ideas online, not in-store.
- 72% of Generation X and 50% of Baby Boomer say they’re spending more time on mobile devices throughout the pandemic.
- 70% of US shoppers say they are open to buying online from new retailers this year.
- 68% of us begin shopping in early November this year vs 57% in 2019.
- 67% of users admit to window shopping for fun on their smartphones. 77% of these digital window shoppers make impulse purchases. And, if you couldn’t catch them right away, 70% of them will come back and make a purchase from their device within the first hour of seeing the product.
What most of us do this year
- 66% of shoppers plan to spend more of their holiday dollars online in 2020.
- 66% of US consumers who plan to shop this holiday season say they will shop more at local small businesses.
- 63% of retailers expect Americans will be more confident in spending after the election.
- 62% of shoppers intend to buy more stocking stuffer-type items and last-minute gifts online in 2020.
- 62% start holiday shopping earlier to avoid items being out of stock.
- 60% say that they won’t wait until Black Friday to buy presents if they get early discounts from their favorite retailers.
- 60% of US and Canadian shoppers research gifts for themselves during this holiday season.
- Almost 60% of consumers have used chatbots to find answers in the past 12 months. And for Millennials, a chatbox is the preferred support channel.
- 53% plan to start searching for gifts by October and 47% say they start purchasing before November. The vast majority say they’ll start their gift searches online (71%) and plan to purchase from e-commerce sites and apps (86%).
What many others do for online holiday shopping in 2020
- 49% of consumers are more interested in shopping online this holiday.
- 46% of US shoppers agree that “I make a deliberate effort to shop at businesses that align with my values.”
- 46% of online US shoppers expect retailers to offer discounts.
- 44% of shoppers feel nervous about shopping in-store with 17% noting they won’t shop in-store at all this year.
- 43% expect to shop online more frequently even after the COVID-19 outbreak.
- 35% of US shoppers mention shipping as one of the most important factors when buying online.
- 34% increase in digital revenue for the season this year vs last.
- 34% say they plan to do more in-store purchases of household products, groceries, and/or beer/wine/spirits.
- 33% of consumers plan to have their holiday shopping totally finished by the time Black Friday rolls around.
- 30% of purchases made during the season will be sent back.
- 25% plan to buy more products online in the next few months, including toys and gaming items, cultural goods, consumer electronics, apparel/accessories, and luxury brands, than they did during the same period last year.
- 12% on Facebook say they actively search for products to buy for themselves or someone else.
- 10% of US shoppers say they tried a new shopping app for the first time this year.
- 9% of all holiday shoppers will be making their first online purchase this year.
Do these stats on online holiday shopping in 2020 surprise you? Do you think you should put some more thought behind an online shopping plan for your business?
