Americans start rush shopping early during peak season and may face product shortages!

Americans start rush shopping early during peak season and may face product shortages!
Amid product shortages, delivery delays, and ongoing lockdowns, U.S. consumers have started peak season shopping early and are buying holiday gifts online. According to the 2021 Q3 Consumer Trends Report released by JungleScout, 31% of U.S. consumers said they will start shopping for the holidays before the end of October, more than a month ahead of the Black Friday Cyber ​​Monday event.

 
Additionally, a quarter of early shoppers (24%) plan to spend more this Christmas than in 2020, and at least 40% of consumers plan to travel before the end of the year, which could further stimulate spending in the fourth quarter.

 

According to JungleScout consumer data, the following are the online shopping trends of consumers who are doing their peak season shopping early:

 

Main categories and platforms for purchasing gifts

 
Consumers who plan to make early peak season purchases mainly shop on the websites and in-stores of large retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and Target, with about twice as many consumers buying electronics, toys and games online as in-store.

 

Get shopping inspiration on social media

 
In terms of where early shoppers browse for products online, most go to traditional search engines like Google or Bing, or go directly to Amazon and Walmart.com. Many also search for products on social media channels, with Facebook and YouTube leading the way, but Instagram and TikTok also popular.
 
In addition, many consumers are avid fans of beauty and fashion bloggers, with 35% of early shoppers following fashion and beauty bloggers on social media.

 

Brand Activism Impact

 
Early season shoppers’ purchases may be influenced by a brand’s values, including social issues like racism and gender expression, with nearly half (48%) of consumers viewing such messages from brands positively.

  • 30% of early shoppers say brand values ​​influence their impression of a brand.


  • 19% said it would affect their purchasing behavior and brand impression.



 

Budget increase

 
Many early shoppers are planning to increase their peak season spending in 2021, including the following key events:
 
Christmas (36% of early holiday shoppers plan to spend more this year)
Thanksgiving (29%)
Halloween (27%)
New Year's Eve (24%)
Hanukkah (20%)
Kwanzaa (17%)
 
As a result, consumer spending on festive categories such as gifts, decorations, apparel and food is expected to increase.
 

The impact of early peak season shopping on e-commerce:

 

Early shopping during peak season may still face delivery delays

 
Even as global supply chains struggle to keep up with the country’s voracious appetite for online shopping, consumers remain wary of whether online retailers can provide fast and free delivery, and early shoppers are no exception.
 
Buying gifts in advance can help consumers avoid some of the shipping delays and stockouts that have plagued the retail industry since the outbreak began. But given that e-commerce sellers and brands have struggled to keep enough inventory in the past 18 months, these problems may still be unavoidable.
 

Peak season promotions may be fewer or longer

 
The impact of the Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday sales may be muted this year. Last year, Walmart's fourth-quarter sales grew 124% year-over-year, thanks in large part to its $76 million in sales on Black Friday. But starting gift shopping early could dampen consumers' anticipation for Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday.
 
The report pointed out that in order to attract early shoppers, online retailers may extend holiday promotions , such as "Black November". At the same time, due to the supply chain disruption caused by the epidemic, which may lead to early stock-outs, brands are less willing to promote sales, so there may be fewer promotional products.
 

More local in-store purchases

 
Given early shopper interest in supporting small businesses, brands and retailers that engage in local sourcing, they are likely to make more local in-store purchases, including at retailers that offer curbside pickup.
 
In addition, early shoppers are also keen to buy second-hand goods, especially in fashion. Two-fifths of people said they look for second-hand products when shopping online. Many large second-hand e-commerce platforms such as Depop and Thredup have become popular in recent years, and eBay still has a large customer base.
 

Editor ✎ Xiao Zhu/

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


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