Fluent Commerce, a provider of a cloud-native distributed Order Management System, released findings of its annual Top Holiday Shopper Trends consumer spending research, revealing the current economic conditions are having an impact on the spending plans of more than 60 percent of shoppers.
The research, carried out among 1,000 adult consumers in North America, tracks spending behaviors and intentions ahead of the holiday season. Among the headline findings, 10 percent of respondents say they are not going to start their seasonal shopping at all, up from 8 percent in 2021. In addition, 40 percent will spend about the same as last year but a third will spend less – the same level as in 2021.
Nearly half (45 percent) of consumers say they plan a mix of online and in-store shopping, while one in five will shop purely in-store, a reduction compared to the previous year. When choosing to spend with one retailer over another, free delivery is important to three-quarters (73 percent) of online shoppers, with next-day delivery “very important” to less than a third (27 percent) of all respondents.
Looking at product availability, most consumers (67 percent) said it would damage their view of a brand or store if an item they went to purchase wasn’t in stock having been informed online that it was. Unsurprisingly, three-quarters said if a product was sold out, they would go to a competitor site.
“Despite an understandable degree of spending caution among the majority of holiday season shoppers, retailers still need to raise their game and adapt quickly if they are to maximize sales at this crucial time of year,” said Nicola Kinsella, SVP of global marketing at Fluent Commerce. “Keeping up to date with consumer preferences and shopping trends is vital, but we know many retailers struggle to give shoppers the kind of experience that determines both engagement and loyalty. As the data reveals, failing to take control of their inventory accuracy will simply mean today’s savvy shoppers will go elsewhere.”
To download a copy of the Fluent Commerce Top Holiday Shopper Trends 2022 report, click here.
For more information visit https://fluentcommerce.com.
