This year, the holiday season is in full swing so retailers and brands anticipate a strong turnout from consumers, and they are refining their marketing tactics to grab shopper consideration and drive sales. Honed your marketing strategy with fresh insights into when, where and how US consumers are shopping and what retailers can do to win the attention of shoppers everywhere.

When Will US Consumers Shop Online for Holiday Season?

• 6 in 10 of US consumers plan to start shopping for holiday gifts before Black Friday in 2018, compared to over a quarter (27%) will start on Black Friday or later.
• Shoppers plan to spend $803 on gifts this year during Black Friday weekend which is $60 more than 2017.
• 65% of Millennials, 48% of Gen X and 30% of Baby Boomers plan to make at least one purchase on a mobile device this holiday season.

Where and How Will US Consumers Shop Online for Holiday Season?

• Department stores and online-only retailers are the top two places where US consumers are planning to visit to search for holiday gifts with rates of 67% & 60%, respectively.
• 55% of consumers feel comfortable that they are able to buy online and pick up in stores during the holiday season.
• 87% of shoppers are searching for deals when shopping for holiday gifts, with 71% of them said that price is the biggest determining factor in the gifts they purchase.
• It worth to be mentioned that, 61% of shoppers will not complete an online purchase during the holiday season without first securing free shipping.

What Retailers Can Do to Win the Attention of Shoppers Everywhere?

• Almost three-quarters of retailers (74%) will begin marketing efforts earlier this year to capture attention.
• 54% of retailers claimed that driving sales on Cyber Monday is more important for their company than driving sales on Black Friday.
• 57% of retailers will focus the greatest amount of their holiday marketing efforts toward Millennials, and 34% will do so towards Gen X.
• 95% of retailers agree that deals and discounts are more effective at driving purchases during the holidays than other times of the year, with 81% of them will offer more discounts this season than last year.

A Pie Chart Shows the Most Targeted Generations for Retailers During the 2018 Holiday Season

Methodology:

Data is based on an online survey of 1,034 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over. The survey was conducted between July 5th, 2018 and July 8th, 2018. Additionally, there was another online survey conducted between July 5th, 2018 and July 10th, 2018 among 203 Senior Managers+ who maintain decision-making responsibilities in digital, offline, and/or mobile marketing in the US.