Around the world, the lead up to the end of the year is marked by different celebrations. In the U.S. this process appears to begin with Halloween and accelerate to Thanksgiving and then to Christmas (the oft referred to ‘Holiday season’).
For those wishing to indulge, will they be able to get hold of everything they need to make their celebrations go with a swing? Premise, a data collection network, has polled consumer expectations. This was based on a poll run between October 5th through to November 1st, from a survey of 1,960 shoppers. The main findings have been released to Digital Journal.
With the U.S., the poll spans the period when retailers and shoppers experienced sweet and costume shortages as Halloween approached. Due to supply shortages, the poll finds that many consumers have indicated they are beginning their shopping for the various celebrations a little earlier than normal.
According to the survey, this year 19 percent of shoppers started holiday shopping two months in advance. Beyond this, 11 percent shopped 3 months in advance. Whereas a little closer to the date, 21 percent shopped one month before the first of the ‘holiday’ events.
In contrast, last year (2020), 16 percent of consumers shopped two months in advance and 10 percent shopped 3 months in advance. In addition, 19 percent shopped one month in advance.
Commenting to Digital Journal Premise’s VP of Commercial, Ken Cassar said: “Holiday shoppers need to shop early, and they need to have gift contingency plans. If you see the video game console that your kids are dreaming about in the store today, just buy it. Don’t wait”.
Cassar warns that this year holiday shoppers will be unlike any other and to “set the kids’ expectations appropriately.”
As part of the consumer poll, Premise compared the big-box and virtual shopping experiences as many were unable to shop in store last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. This year 66 percent of shoppers plan to shop both online and in person, 19 percent plan to shop solely online, and 15 percent plan to shop only in person.
Cassar warns the 19 percent who plan to holiday shop online that they can expect to find record out-of-stock messages and may face prolonged shipping delays. However, it could equally be argued that those who plan to go in person risk doing so with viral infection rates still high.
The reason for the online shopping concerns relate to supply chain problems in conjunction with a shortage of truck drivers, events that coalesced into a logistical nightmare for struggling retailers. These are key issues that started prior to the pandemic and which have become magnified now more than ever with demand increasing and supply not being able to keep up.
