How will the 2022 holiday shopping season perform? The latest forecast is out!

Retailers will face some of the same challenges as last year during the 2022 holiday season, such as supply chain issues and labor shortages, but some new challenges will emerge due to inflation, rising fuel prices and a global economic recession, according to the latest forecast from retail media platform Criteo.

Here are Criteo’s five predictions for 2022 holiday season spending trends:

1. Cyber ​​Monday will steal the show from Black Friday

While Black Friday still gets a lot of attention, it has become less popular since 2020 (the peak of the pandemic). In contrast, sales in November have been rising over the years, meaning consumers don’t rush to buy on Black Friday, but instead continue to buy throughout November, which is why November is also known as “Cyber ​​Month.”

In 2022, lingering supply chain challenges and labor shortages have consumers shopping earlier. According to the survey, 77% of Americans bought holiday gifts in advance during Amazon's Prime Day and other retailers' big sales in July.

2. November is the most likely month to get new buyers

According to Criteo data, new buyers (consumers identified as new customers) will start shopping in early November, and the shopping peak will be on Black Friday. During this period, it will be a critical period for retailers to acquire new customers.

By late December, retailers should focus on increasing repeat business and customer loyalty, as the share of sales from new buyers is lowest at this time.

3. There are huge differences in consumers’ purchasing behavior

During the 2021 holiday season, among the group with the shortest purchasing time, a quarter of consumers took only 30 minutes from first page browsing to purchase; among the group with the longest purchasing time, a quarter of consumers took as long as 48 days from first page browsing to purchase.

Criteo pointed out that this means that every consumer's shopping journey is unique. Sellers need to flexibly adjust their marketing strategies based on the right data and intelligence to increase consumer purchasing interest during the peak season.

4. Both offline and online sales will be strong

The survey shows that during this peak season, physical stores will be more popular than the previous year. In addition to being a place to buy things, physical stores are also a source of inspiration for consumers.

Notably, consumers are 2x more likely to make a purchase if they visit a retailer’s website at the same time as shopping in-store.

In addition, compared with last year, more shoppers will choose the "shop online, pick up in store" consumption model during the peak season of 2022.

Criteo said retailers need to propose a strong omnichannel strategy to help and guide consumers to make purchases more easily online or offline.

5. Shoppers start buying holiday gifts

Data shows that, like last year, half of consumers start thinking about holiday gifts in July, and 30% of consumers buy gifts in August. In addition, more millennials and Generation Z buy gifts in advance than Generation X and Baby Boomers.

Editor ✎ Nicole/

Disclaimer: This article is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without permission.