With summer just around the corner and consumers focused on summer vacation plans, we know that businesses are looking ahead to the holiday season. To help with your planning, we’ve pulled together our 2022 holiday-related shopping data from our Flash Points Surveys. These are pulse surveys of everyday consumers across North America on a wide range of issues affecting customer experiences.
And we’re always open to topic suggestions! If you have a burning question, contact us here or email letschat@intouchinsight.com.
Below, we'll look at:
- When and how are consumers making holiday purchases?
- Is Cyber Monday or Black Friday a bigger deal for consumers?
- How can brands collect more customer feedback?
When and how are consumers making holiday purchases?
Brands looking to maximize holiday sales only have a few months to ensure they’re ready to wow shoppers both in-store and online.
- 53% of consumers say they begin making holiday purchases multiple months in advance.
Gift cards are a hot ticket item with 70% of respondents typically including them among their holiday purchases.
- 75% of consumers report purchasing gift cards for restaurants and coffee shops followed by big box retailers at 69% and online retailers at 60%.
- Brick and mortar locations have a slight edge with 82% of consumers saying they complete holiday purchases in-store but 71% also make online purchases.
- However, 76% of consumers who shop in-store say they research their purchases online ahead of going in-person.
Is Cyber Monday or Black Friday a bigger deal for consumers?
For cost-conscious consumers looking to capitalize on post-Thanksgiving deals, Cyber Monday has become even more popular than Black Friday.
- 34% of consumers reported a preference for Cyber Monday and 21% Black Friday with 45% having no preference.
- 68% of consumers plan to shop for deals on Black Friday and 78% on Cyber Monday.
- However, consumers are making the same types of purchases for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday with holiday gifts coming in at #1 followed by electronics and clothing.
- Similar to what we saw with holiday shopping in general, 72% of consumer reported spending time researching Black Friday deals online before heading into stores.
How can brands collect more customer feedback?
Whether over the holidays or year-round, collecting customer feedback is essential for brands looking to optimize their customer experience and win consumer loyalty.
- 70% of consumers say they provide feedback to brands when asked for it.
- 34% of consumers reported that they leave feedback even if they are not asked for it.
- Of the consumers who do leave feedback, 72% say it’s because of incentives such as coupons or loyalty points and 67% say it’s because of a positive experience.
- Of those who don’t leave feedback, 74% say it’s due to a lack of incentive and 68% because it takes too long.
- The top three methods consumers use to provide feedback are email at 69%, surveys at 66%, and online reviews and social media at 39%.
What's your burning question?
We want to help you make informed business decisions. Each of our Flash Points typically collect between 1500-3000 responses in a 24-48 hour period — free of charge!
If you have a burning question, submit your question and the results will be emailed to you the results once the data has been collected. Submit your question here or email letschat@intouchinsight.com.
