2020 Holiday Shopping Habit Statistics

How will 2020 holiday shopping habits change as a result of COVID-19?

In order to understand where shopping habits will be headed, we should look at how the retail landscape has changed.

Total retail sales in the US are projected to be 4.89 trillion in 2020. This is about 3.5% less than 2017 US retail sales and over 10% less than 2019. Retail sales aren’t projected to reach Pre-COVID levels until 2022.

While e-commerce sales in the US have grown substantially in 2020, projections show brick-and-mortar store sales not rebounding until Q2 2021. In fact, overall consumer spending has only increased in the grocery, entertainment at home and household supply retail categories.

Below are 2020 holiday shopping habits statistics that reflect the impact of the Coronavirus :

• 53.8% of consumers plan to shop online on Black Friday compared to 16.1% in-person.
• 60.8% of those surveyed cite “Too many crowds” as the reason for not shopping at a brick-and-mortar on Black Friday.
• 37% of respondents say their shopping budget for 2020 is either less, or significantly less than in 2019.
• 71% of US adults plan to do more than half of their holiday shopping digitally.
• 59% of respondents say they will spend the same or more this holiday season compared to last year.
• 66% of shoppers will be celebrating on a smaller scale because of the pandemic.
• 35% of Christmas shoppers will not change how they shop because of the coronavirus.
• 68% of consumers are somewhat to very comfortable shopping at a local store this holiday season vs. an outdoor market, big box retailer or mall.
• 71% of shoppers are more concerned about dealing with others who aren’t taking the coronavirus seriously.
• 59% of shoppers say that face masks for workers and shoppers is the safety measure stores should take to make them most comfortable.
• 54% of respondents will visit three or fewer brick-and-mortar retailers for holiday shopping.

In conclusion, the coronavirus has caused an unprecedented change in consumer spending and holiday shopping habits. With all of this change, and focus on e-commerce, now more than ever is the time to differentiate the shopping experience on your website vs. that of your competitors. SiteVibes offers unique ways to engage your website visitors with:

1. Real-time Product Trends
2. Shoppable UGC
3. Dynamic Social Proof
4. Nudges