YouGov: Nearly 70% of Americans plan to shop during the holidays

Holiday shopping may look different this year. For example, 3 in 10 Americans (30%) say their shopping budgets will be tighter this holiday season compared to last year’s budgets. However, there is some light in the gloom for retailers. The majority of Americans (69%) plan to shop online or in person at some point this holiday season (including 74% of those with smaller budgets).

YouGov surveyed consumers to better understand how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their holiday shopping plans. Two in five Americans (41%) said their shopping budget this year is about the same as last year, although only a very small number (8%) said they will spend more this holiday season.

When asked when they plan to start holiday shopping, 45% of respondents plan to start shopping before Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday. One in 10 consumers (11%) will start holiday shopping during Black Friday/Cyber ​​Monday, and 13% of Americans will start shopping sometime in December. About one in six Americans will not shop at all this year (17%).

Throughout the pandemic, in-person consumption has been disrupted, while online consumption has accelerated.

Among those Americans who plan to shop for the holidays, behavior looks mixed. One-quarter (23%) will spend more online, but about the same number (22%) plan to spend less online. And the picture is clearer for in-person shopping. Significantly fewer people will shop in-person (39%), but a significant number (16%) will spend more in-store.

The acceleration in online spending has also been accompanied by increased engagement across a variety of media channels. Since the pandemic began, people are spending more time watching TV (43%) and on-demand content (38%). Time spent on social media has also surged during the pandemic. A large number of holiday shoppers said they spent more time browsing platforms such as Facebook (33%), Instagram (20%) and Twitter (17%).

199IT.com Originally compiled from: YouGov. Please do not reprint without authorization