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Updated Header - Holiday Shopping 2021

Mobile’s Still on Top for Holiday Shopping

Posted Oct 5, 2021

As another holiday season rolls around and with a global pandemic still affecting user behavior and preferences for shopping, AdColony looked to discover how users in the United States and Canada will be shopping for this holiday season. With mobile usage and shopping on mobile increasing dramatically in the past year, consumers are now dedicated to this channel and will opt to shop online, and on mobile specifically. As the pandemic is still making safety a priority while holiday shopping and with users’ new fondness for shopping on mobile, many shopping preferences from last year have not changed. 

Though consumers may not be thinking about shopping for the holidays yet, Adweek notes that brands should connect with consumers sooner rather than later, as data from last year indicates that consumers will look to ecommerce shopping and will extend the holiday shopping period from before Black Friday to the end of the year. What’s more, Google urges brands and retailers to start holiday promotions and plans earlier than usual with consumers looking to shop earlier to avoid crowds and items going out of stock, as noted in BigCommerce. Moreover, consumers are looking forward to celebrating this holiday season and according to research from Mastercard, consumer spend will be up 7.4% from last year and 11.1% from two years ago. 

Earlier this year, we took a look at how consumers conducted back to school shopping, and now we’re taking a closer look at how shoppers will be preparing for the holidays. AdColony conducted a Holiday Shopping Survey, and this week, we’re looking at the results specifically from North America, which provides lots of powerful insights that should inspire brand and advertiser choices for this holiday season.

Highlights from the Study

  • Consumers still prefer to shop online. — Though 5% more consumers will be shopping in-person this year compared to last year, the vast majority of shoppers (81%) will order online this holiday season and have products delivered to their homes, over curbside pickup or in-store shopping.
  • Gifts will be purchased online but exchanged in person. — 82% of consumers have purchased gifts for others on their mobile devices, but the majority of shoppers still prefer to exchange gifts in-person rather than shipping gifts to the recipient’s home.   
  • Shopping on mobile in-app is the most preferred way to shop. — When shopping online on mobile, almost half of respondents (45%) prefer to shop in-app, while a significant amount still have no preference for mobile shopping.
  • Consumers need mobile, even when shopping in-store. — The majority of shoppers say it’s important to have a mobile device while shopping in-store and will use their mobile to look up product reviews, research competitor prices, and more!
  • Clothes, gift cards, and electronics remain top product purchases for the holidays. — In addition, books, groceries, and home goods will be purchased for the holidays while travel, events, and transportation see lower purchase rates, likely due to the ongoing global pandemic. 
  • Consumers will purchase from mobile ads if the product is relevant. — While less than half (43%) of respondents have purchased something directly from a mobile ad, over half (66%) of shoppers would make a purchase directly from a mobile ad if the product was relevant. 

Check out the infographic below for more great insights and click here to download the full report! Don’t forget to click on the infographic to open it full size!

Holiday Shopping Survey 2021 Infographic - NA

About the Study
The AdColony Holiday Shopping Survey 2021 was distributed across North America and garnered over 400 responses. The survey asked respondents, aged 18 years old to over 75, questions about their shopping behaviors and preferences during the holiday season, and how their mobile device plays a role in the buying process.

Join the Conversation
What will you be shopping for this holiday season? Tweet us @AdColony. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on LinkedIn.

Anna

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