Report: Holiday shopping, driven by digital, to get early start

Gone are the days when Black Friday signified the official launch of the holiday shopping season.



In fact, nearly half (49%) of shoppers will have a bulk of their holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving Day, according to a new survey from market intelligence solutions provider Market Track. And digital deals will be the catalyst.



The nationwide survey of 1,000 consumers said that 27% of respondents plan to do the bulk of their holiday shopping before the calendar hits November — a stat that is up 8% from 2015.



“Beating other retailers to the punch by taking demand out of the market early is nothing new,” explains Traci Gregorski, senior VP of marketing at Market Track. “Look for early digital sales to kick off the season in earnest with compelling deals in October to entice consumers to shop early.”



Among those determined to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner before kicking off their holiday shopping frenzy, 52% intend to shop online on Black Friday, and 61% said they will wait until Cyber Monday to shop for the holidays. Respondents also cited overwhelmingly that e-retail giant Amazon will be their top online shopping destination and where they plan to allocate a majority of their online budget for holiday this year, the report said.



The impact of these digital shopping plans extend far beyond the transaction data. Digital interactions will influence 66% of shoppers on their in-store purchases, and 73% of shoppers plan to research prices online ahead of shopping in-store this season, according to the survey.



Mobile will also play a role in this research, as devices enable consumers to interact with brands from the planning stages, while making purchase decisions, and post-purchase. Whether it is through price or stock status research, SMS offers or app-specific sales and alerts, or mobile commerce, mobility will play a significant role in influencing decisions throughout the purchase journey, the report summarized.