One in two U.S. holiday shoppers are steadfastly brand loyal and will only shop at stores they frequented in the past. And trust is a key to loyalty, as 48% of consumers said they distrust brands with their personal information. For shoppers, familiarity equals safety, as 96% of respondents noted that they will shop online in 2022. These are among the key findings in a new survey of U.S. holiday shoppers from Optimove, a customer-led marketing platform used by hundreds of leading consumer brands across the globe.
The survey found U.S. holiday shoppers, overall, will budget less on holiday gifts in 2022. Twice as many will spend less (35%) than respondents who plan to spend more (17%). Most will start their shopping journey early, with more than half saying Halloween will initiate their purchasing. Further, consumers are open to early offers from familiar brands — 69% of respondents want early offers from preferred retailers. Just 41% of respondents said they are willing to wait for Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.
According to Pini Yakuel, CEO of Optimove, “These results underscore that brand loyalty is a huge bonus for retailers. Shoppers who have a relationship with a brand are more likely to trust that marketer to provide relevant, timely recommendations. Plus, wary consumers are comfortable sharing information with a brand they know.”
The survey of 514 U.S. consumers revealed several other key insights about shoppers as they approach the 2022 holiday season. These include:
- Price is a key motivator over service for shoppers: More than eight in ten (82%) responded that price was more important than service in shopping.
- Over one-third of U.S. consumers surveyed will spend less in the 2022 holiday season versus 2021: Overall, 35% of Americans will spend less this season than in 2021, 17% will spend more, and 48% the same.
- Recommendations from familiar retailers can increase the chance of a sale: 32% of shoppers said that recommendations from a retailer, based on the shopper’s previous browsing, increase the chance the shopper will buy. Forty-three percent (43%) responded that recommendations “made no difference.” In addition, 19% found recommendations were invasive or decreased the chance they would buy.
- More than half of consumers want holiday offers 20-60 days before the holiday: 55% want a holiday offer at least 20-60 days before the holiday, and just 27% want offers within 20 days of the holiday.
- Email is the preferred channel by consumers to receive offers: Email is the preferred channel by 35% of consumers for brands to market to them — and the most likely to catch their attention. This compares to text/SMS (14%), social media (12%), traditional media TV/radio/newspaper/billboard (10%). Twenty-nine percent (29%) chose “none of the above.”
- More than half of consumers will unsubscribe from marketers: Fifty-four percent (54%) of the consumers surveyed said they will unsubscribe from 1 to 5 brands during the holiday season, while 31% never unsubscribe.
- Consumers willing to spend more with retailers committed to the environment: Almost half of U.S. consumers surveyed (49%) responded that they would pay more to a merchant committed to the environment. In addition, 74% of respondents said that it is important that a merchant is committed to the environment.
