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Do you want to optimize your sales this holiday season? Take a look at what experts forecast about people’s shopping habits and preferences in 2022.
I’ve shared this type of post in the past, and I think the information is really helpful. So I wanted to create a similar post this year.
In the 2022 edition, I go over ten important insights about this year’s holiday season and the typical holiday shopper. Plus, I let you know when this year’s shipping deadlines are so you aren’t caught off-guard.
Let’s take a look at what you need to know to earn as many sales as possible this holiday season…
#1. Despite tight finances, people are cutting non-gift purchases. That way, they can still afford holiday experiences and gifts for others.
According to the 2022 Deloitte Holiday Survey, average retail spending during the 2022 holiday season is estimated to be $1,455 per household.
Seventy-four percent of people say “they will spend more or the same on the holidays as last year.” And “73% expect higher prices this year due to inflation.” As a result, shoppers expect to buy fewer gifts in total. And they also expect to buy more gift cards.
Given these findings, you’d do well to offer special sales this holiday season. That way, you can make your prices more attractive to customers struggling with inflation. To increase your average order value, you might consider offering discounts whenever a customer buys two or more items.
You could also create bundle deals. For example, you might pair a pit bull mom coffee mug with a set of pit bull mom pillowcases. Then, you could sell them together for a lower rate than if customers were to buy each item individually.
Additionally, you may want to sell gift cards to your store. Click here to learn more about how to do that.
#2. Fifty percent of shoppers plan to shop around more to find the best deals.
Due to rising costs caused by inflation, shoppers plan to browse more this year to find the lowest prices. Some shoppers also plan to use a “buy now, pay later” checkout service to delay their full payments.
As I talked about above, to help your products stand out to shoppers struggling with inflation, you can run sales and offer special discounts. You can also give customers who buy from you a coupon code to use on their next purchase. This is a great way to encourage repeat business.
Click here to learn more about setting up coupon codes and running sales on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay.
#3. The average shopping duration is significantly shorter this year on account of inflation.
The expected shopping duration of the 2022 holiday shopping season is just 5.8 weeks compared to 6.4 weeks in 2021. With rising costs due to inflation, people plan to buy fewer gifts so they don’t need as much time to shop.
#4. The typical holiday shopper plans to do most of their holiday shopping online (63%).
According to Deloitte, this stat is on par with the last two years. Shoppers just can’t pass up the convenience that online shopping affords. Additionally, 56% of shoppers say they plan to shop using their smartphones.
This doesn’t mean customers won’t do any shopping at brick-and-mortar businesses, however. Slightly more people than last year say they intend to perform some in-store holiday shopping as well.
But the preference for online shopping obviously bodes well for you, as an ecommerce seller.
#5. More people plan to use social media as part of their shopping experience.
According to Deloitte, 34% of people plan to use social media to shop. This is up from 28% last year and 26% in 2020.
Based on the chart below, younger generations (gen Z and millennials) are most likely to use social media for their holiday shopping. And older generations (gen X, boomers, and seniors) are less likely. But percentages of gen X and boomer social media shoppers is on the rise.
Marketing isn’t a huge focus of the Low Hanging System. But if you have a social media presence, you might consider promoting your products, especially those that appeal to gen Z and millennials, on platforms like…
- YouTube
- and TikTok
With any social media content you create, be sure to add links to your product listings and relevant hashtags.
#6. Shoppers use different social media platforms for inspiration depending on their age.
According to the Tinuiti 2022 Holiday Shopper Study, different age groups prefer different social media platforms for their holiday shopping.
Gen Z
The younger generation prefers TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest
Boomer
And the older generation like Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube best.
Neither generation uses Twitter all that much for holiday shopping.
So, again, if you use social media for your ecommerce business, choose the platforms you concentrate on accordingly.
#7. A growing percentage of holiday shoppers follow social media influencers to gain insights.
The Deloitte survey says “30% of holiday shoppers follow influencers.” This is up from 24% in 2021, and 22% in 2020. The top reasons shoppers follow influencers for holiday shopping insights is to…
- Review comments on retailer websites and apps
- Check product reviews on blogs and online forums
- Watch short video clips on social media
As a business owner, you might consider reaching out to influencers in your niche. You can see if they’d be willing to mention your products in their content. Or you could send them a free sample. Then, they could create an unboxing video or post pictures or videos of themselves using your products.
Here’s a list of websites where you can find influencers to reach out to:
#8. The majority of holiday shoppers plan to shop on Amazon.
Tinuiti reports that 86% of shoppers plan to use Amazon to shop for gifts online.
Most Low Hanging System members have stores on Amazon. So this is great news. This holiday season, you can expect a ton of traffic to visit the ecommerce giant. And hopefully, you can attract a lot of that traffic to your store. Make sure you optimize your listings by including relevant keywords in their titles and descriptions.
Click here to learn more about driving more sales on Amazon.
#9. Most shoppers prefer free shipping over fast shipping.
Deloitte reports that 85% of shoppers prefer free shipping over fast shipping. And of those 15% of shoppers who prefer fast shipping, 75% want their orders to arrive within two days or less.
So if you can, offer free shipping on your products whenever possible. This gives shoppers a reason to buy from you instead of your competitors.
#10. The 2022 Holiday shipping deadlines within the US start on December 8th.
Learn when the rest of the 2022 holiday shipping deadlines are below:
USPS
Retail Ground – December 17
First Class Mail – December 17
Priority Mail – December 19
Priority Mail Express – December 23
FedEx
Ground Economy– December 8
Ground – December 14
Home Delivery – December 14
Express Saver – December 20
2Day Services – December 21
Same Day – December 23
UPS
Ground – Check here
3 Day Select – December 19
2nd Day Air Services – December 21
Next Day Air Services – December 22
I hope you find these holiday shopping insights about the typical holiday shopper useful! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with your friends and followers.
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