There’s officially less than one month to go before holiday sales and shopping are in full swing. According to PwC, 2016 holiday spending is expected to reach its highest point since the Great Recession, increasing 10% in comparison to the 2015 holiday season. As retailers begin to prepare for a busy shopping season, SheerID conducted a survey of over 500 US shoppers who have made a purchase online in order to gain insight into online shopping habits, likes, dislikes, and holiday budgeting for online spending.
With a majority of respondents planning to spend over $250 on their holiday shopping, SheerID’s survey found that in order to keep sales high throughout the holiday season, retailers need to be especially focused on providing the best omnichannel experience possible. Our data showed that today’s consumers want an in-store experience without actually stepping into a store: 61% of shoppers planning to do 50-100% of their holiday shopping online. The top two reasons shoppers put e-commerce first were:
- 31% like the convenience of shopping from home
- 13% like getting deals that aren’t available in store
Although the amount of online shopping will increase, the SheerID survey found that consumers who have issues with the online process often leads to shopping cart abandonment. Just over 56% of respondents said they would abandon their shopping carts due to expensive shipping and over 40% said they would abandon their carts as a result of a frustrating check out experience.
Our survey also found that deals and discounts will play a major factor in completing the online buying process this holiday season. 63% of consumers find it important or very important that the products they buy are discounted. When shopping online, consumers prefer:
- 40% – Free shipping
- 26% – Larger discount on one item
- 20% – Small discount on entire order
- 10% – Buy one, get one free
- 5% – Free gift with purchase
- 34% of consumers also pointed out that they would be likely to use exclusive discounts if they were offered.
SheerID works with both large and small organizations to ensure that they can meet the demands of their consumers when offering exclusive deals on all channels. To learn more about how SheerID can help you offer exclusive deals this holiday season, all while creating a consistent, positive customer experience visit https://www.sheerid.com/we-verify-for-you/
Our holiday shopping survey returned a lot of fascinating information this year. If you’d like to see even more of the results, read our press release, Online Shoppers Seek In-Store Purchasing Experience for 2016 Holiday Season or take a look at the infographic below.
