Half of holiday shoppers plan to use curbside or contactless pickup: survey

Dive Brief:

More consumers plan to shop on Cyber Monday compared to Black Friday, according to a survey conducted by BlackFriday.com and Survey Gizmo. Per the survey's findings, 30% of respondents plan to shop during Cyber Monday sales, but only 24% plan to shop during Black Friday sales.
Half of the respondents said they plan to use curbside or contactless pickup during the holiday season compared to last year, according to the survey. Among the top items on shoppers' lists are clothing (50%) and home goods and smart devices (39%).
More than half of consumers (56%) are looking forward to deals at Amazon this holiday season, followed by Target (41%) and Walmart (31%), per the survey. About 30% of consumers are planning to spend a total of $400 or less total this holiday season.

Dive Insight:

This year's holiday season spending could be similar to last year's, with 60% of consumers saying they will "spend about the same," according to BlackFriday.com's findings. That result falls in line with a recent Deloitte report estimating that retail holiday sales will only grow between 1% and 1.5%.

It likely comes as no surprise that consumers expect to do their holiday shopping on Amazon, Target and Walmart. More than half (56%) said they plan to do most of their shopping online. Deloitte's estimate also predicted an increase in e-commerce sales by about 25% to 30%. Plus, Cowen analysts recently predicted Target and Walmart will reap the rewards of low prices, consolidated shopping trips and an increase in sales in home goods and grocery.

Though BlackFriday.com's survey found that less than half (44%) of consumers plan to shop primarily in stores, retailers are preparing to offer more of their products online. A recent PayPal survey found that 39% of surveyed retailer respondents said they plan to offer their products in digital marketplaces, and 31% will sell their items via social media.

Various retailers, including BJ's Wholesale, Jos. A. Bank and Men's Wearhouse and At Home have implemented buy online, pick up in-store services ahead of the 2020 holiday season and have built their BOPIS operations in preparation for what's to come. As BlackFriday.com notes, the coronavirus pandemic has boosted retailers' BOPIS offerings, especially as retailers highlight curbside pickup as a safe alternative to in-store shopping.