As we near the last few weeks of the biggest shopping season of the year, RetailMeNot, a J2 Global business within its Ziff Davis division, is revealing its latest survey results and predictions of what’s to come throughout the remainder of December.
New data from RetailMeNot confirms shoppers did take advantage of early sales, as predicted. In fact, according to research the week of November 11th, over half (58%) of Americans said they had already gotten started on their holiday shopping and over one in three (36%) completed at least half of their shopping in that same timeframe.
While many shoppers took advantage of early deals, the RetailMeNot survey also revealed that only 10% of shoppers have completed their holiday shopping so far. With a limited window before the Christmas holiday, shoppers need to be mindful of how they plan to have their gifts shipped, delivered or picked up.
Holiday shipping deadlines are more important than ever given possible delays due to the pandemic. Retailers have been preparing for months to make sure they are able to meet expectations. According to the survey, over three in five retailers (63%) said they are not concerned about missing consumers’ shipping needs during the 2020 holiday season, and fewer than three in 10 (29%) retailers expect to have shipping delays this year.
RetailMeNot’s Shopping & Trends Expert, Sara Skirboll, recommends the following for last-minute shoppers: If you are feeling nervous about your gift arriving in time, take advantage of Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) or contactless curbside pickup services that many retailers are offering this year.
With a short window of time before the holidays and a much-welcomed end to 2020, shoppers plan on spending more money on non-giftables compared to last year. The average American will spend $781 on non-gift items this holiday season — up nearly $300 since 2019 ($484). Three out of five (60% vs. 60% in 2019) Americans will be purchasing clothes for the holidays, while 41% (vs. 43% in 2019) will be buying decor to make their homes more festive. Additionally, 40% are planning to spend money to host safe gatherings with friends or family this holiday season, spending an average of $180 to do so.
Americans are split on what to do with gifts they don’t love this year. Over a third of Americans admit they would keep the gift to avoid hurting the feelings of the gift giver. Others opt for a giving spirit, finding a new home for gifts that are not to their liking. Almost a third (31%) of Americans look to give unwanted gifts to others, whether that means giving the gift to a friend or family member (13%) re-gifting the item (9%), or donating it (8%).
For those who plan to return a gift this year, there are a few things to keep in mind to do so both safely and efficiently. Skirboll tells shoppers, “If you do choose to return a gift in person, I recommend waiting until after January 1 to avoid any post-holiday crowds. You can also check and see if the retailer is offering pre-paid return labels in order to ship it back directly without having to step foot into a store. If you want to make a return quickly and contactless, there are even some retailers who are allowing shoppers to return or exchange items curbside as well, like Dick’s Sporting Goods. Regardless of how you are returning an item, read the fine print on the receipt to guarantee smooth sailing as return windows and policies vary based on the type of item or retailer.”
