Back to school is a wrap – which means that the all-important holiday season is already underway. Last year, over one-third of US online adults started their holiday shopping in October or earlier, which means some of your customers have already made a list and are looking to you for inspiration and good value. In that vein, retailers are gearing up with events in early October such as Target Circle Week and Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
We’re excited to kick off our annual holiday prep blog series to help you gear up for and deliver a strong end of year holiday season.
What have consumers told us so far? From Forrester’s June 2024 Consumer Pulse Survey we learned that:
- Around three-quarters of online adults in both the UK and US said that they plan to shop for the 2024 winter holidays (e.g., Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa). Half of these consumers expect to spend around the same for holiday gifts in 2024 as they did last year.
- Around two-thirds plan to watch for deals and special offers online. That’s partly out of necessity: Roughly three out of ten in both the UK and US say they have less money to spend this year than last. In 2023, US online adults noted that they most prize sitewide discounts and free shipping offers. Get your preference center in order so you communicate with your customers in line with the frequency, channels, and topics that they want.
- Vintage, recycled, and environmentally friendly goods will be on shopping lists for one-quarter of UK online adults and one-fifth of US online adults. If you offer these products, make it easy for customers to find them – from the home page, via easy site navigation, and also via site and marketing search results that take them to directly those product detail pages.
- As for fulfillment and delivery – one-quarter of both UK and US online adults say they plan to regularly use click and collect/buy online pickup in-store for their holiday purchases. One in five US online adults also say they expect to regularly use curbside pickup. Retailers – make sure your OMS and in-store operations are fully tuned and ready to go now (…and thereby fully tested by the time the bigger rush starts in a few weeks).
- …And, yes, Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday are still draws. About three in 10 UK and US online adults plan to shop in stores over Black Friday weekend. And online adults in both the UK (32%) and US (46%) plan to shop online on Cyber Monday. Plan some of your best offers for those times when holiday shoppers are primed – but also test marketing during times (e.g., midweek) when there’s less noise.
In the coming weeks, watch for our annual “Retailer’s Guide To The 2024 Holiday Season,” produced in partnership with Bizrate Insights, as well as our blog series covering topics such as customer experience, marketing, customer care, security and risk, and more. And check out The State Of The US Holiday Shopper, 2023 for insights on how US consumers shopped during last year’s holiday season.
If you’re a Forrester client and would like to discuss aspects of Holiday 2024 for your business, please schedule an inquiry or Guidance Session with us!
