Many consumers to shop for holidays early with omnichannel approach
More than half of consumers start their holiday shopping before fall arrives, according to a new survey.
Bazaarvoice’s 2024 Global Holiday Season Consumer Behavior Report, based on insights from more than 8,000 global consumers, found that almost a quarter of shoppers (23%) will start gift shopping by August or earlier. More than a third of people (37%) will start by September, and more than half (55%) will start by October.
Most customers (62%) told Bazaarvoice that October or earlier is too early for stores to showcase holiday items and sales, although a quarter (26%) said it’s never too early.
Going to the mall is still popular for people to start their holiday shopping (28%). Gen Z was the most likely across all generations to say they started by going to the mall (35%). The most popular places to begin holiday shopping are researching search engines (24%) and looking directly at brand and retailer sites (24%).
Last year, in-store and online retail stores were tied 33% each as the most popular places to purchase holiday items. The next most popular choice (19%) was an equal mix of shopping with in-store and online retailers on brand websites and social media.
Nearly half (49%) of survey respondents said their festive social media shopping is intentional and spontaneous. Consumers say video format shines brightest when capturing their attention during the holiday season most effectively (37%). Shoppers also said mostly prefer to watch videos that are 1-5 minutes long (29%), closely followed by videos that are a minute or less (28%).
"In today's market, it's crucial for brands to create authentic and engaging content at the consumer's preferred place and moment of engagement,” said Zarina Stanford, CMO at Bazaarvoice. “With 82% of shoppers emphasizing the importance of seamless experience across multiple channels, leveraging 'waterholes' across the journey and integrating online and in-store experiences is crucial for an effective omnichannel strategy.”
