Consumers’ Number-One Holiday Shopping Incentive

Don’t think about the price tag. Think about how you’re going to deliver the merchandise.

That is what is on consumers’ minds as they think about upcoming holiday shopping, according to a survey of 17,000 US consumers by shopping rewards app company Shopkick. Last year, consumers’ number-one incentive was low prices. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, 54% said their number-one priority is free shipping. Only 24% said low prices are most important.

Free shipping is not the only Covid concern shoppers are bringing to the table. Consumers are clamoring for retailers to adopt BOPIS, buy-online-pick-up-in-store. Only 17% said they definitively won’t make use of BOPIS this year; 44% said they certainly will.

Of course, many consumers will skip stores altogether and make most or all of their purchases online. Sixty-seven percent said they will shop online, a significant boost from last year’s 51%.

Amazon dominates the online category. Sixty-five percent of online shoppers will patronize the retail giant. Big-box retailers such as Walmart and Target came in a distant second at only 18%.

Retailers have no time to waste. Thirty-four percent said they plan to finish shopping before Thanksgiving.