NRF launches safe holiday shopping initiative

The National Retail Federation wants consumers to make their holiday purchases safely and early amidst the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

The association is introducing a nationwide consumer education campaign called “New Holiday Traditions,” encouraging holiday shoppers to avoid the last-minute stresses of the holiday season such as long lines and shipping delays. The NRF noted that in its annual consumer holiday survey,  43% of respondents said they plan to wait till November to start buying for the season and 59% plan to shift more of their shopping online compared with last year.

“This is going to be a historic holiday season and while some memorable traditions may change, the tradition of retailers supporting their customers and their communities is stronger than ever," said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. "That is why we encourage consumers to adopt two new traditions this year – shop safe and shop early – so we can all celebrate a happy and healthy holiday.  Retailers are prepared for an early start to the shopping season, offering discounts earlier to ensure consumers can find the gifts they want, in stock at the price they want to pay, delivered at the time they want to receive them.”

The NRF’s “New Holiday Traditions” campaign will include advertising across digital and social media, radio and connected TV that will air from October through mid-November in target markets across the country.