Welcome to the First “Nonline” Holiday Shopping Season
This year did you sleep late on Black Friday because you were planning to do most of your holiday shopping on Cyber Monday? Retailers, e-tailers, and the software developers who create and support the apps that enable both brick-and-mortar and online shopping want to know.
Google, for one, has predicted that 2012 will be the first “nonline” holiday season, where the lines between online and offline shopping will blur.
The search engine giant commissioned Ipsos OTX, an independent market research firm, to survey 1,500 prospective shoppers about their buying intentions for the 2012 holiday shopping season. The results posted on Google’s blog were interesting but hardly surprising: People no longer see a distinct line of separation for pricing, functionality, and promotions between online and offline shopping.
Some key takeaways from Google’s Holiday Consumer Intentions 2012 survey:
The economy means careful shopping habits. People are using multiple devices to research purchases, and 85% say they shop for a gift on one device and then make their purchase on another.
When people will shop. 54% of consumers will have started holiday shopping before Black Friday, and 31% plan to do the majority of their holiday shopping in early/mid December.
The mall vs. online. 51% of shoppers plan to research online but then buy in-store; 32% research online, visit a store to view the product, and then return online to buy; and 17% will window shop first and then purchase online.
Tablet shopping. 4 in 5 mobile/tablet owners will use their device for holiday shopping and plan to continue searching after Christmas.
Overall, according to Google, 21% of consumers surveyed are planning to spend more than they did last year: $900 vs. $854 during 2011. However, 53% plan to research holiday purchases online more this year than in 2011.
What this boils down to is that this holiday season, consumers will be checking their list in the mall, online, and on the go, and they’ll be shopping when it’s convenient for them. How the holiday sales ring up for individual companies this season may well depend on how prepared they are to accommodate the new “nonline” holiday shopping trend.
Source: Ipsos OTX/Google 2012 Holiday Shopping Intentions Survey
Are you a "nonline" holiday shopper this year? In the Comments below, tell me about your experiences.
