Brick-and-mortar continues to play a role in holiday shopping, survey confirms

Consumers expect to complete half of their shopping for the 2019 holiday season in a physical store, whether standalone or in a mall. A new study conducted by Accenture surveyed 1,500 U.S. consumers, determining that stores play an important role for gift shopping, particularly when searching for ideas. Even more surprisingly, the survey confirmed that consumers are more likely to purchase an item they discover in a store rather than searching online for a better prices.

“While having a strong online proposition has become table-stakes, physical stores will still play an important role in the future,” Jill Standish, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s global Retail practice, said in a statement.

“With consumers planning to do half of their holiday shopping in-store, retailers need to carefully plan their strategy for customer service, including labor, assortment and allocation of inventory. With creativity and ingenuity around the store footprint, retailers have an opportunity to leverage the surge in holiday foot traffic not only to increase holiday revenues but also to find those special customers who will be the loyal ones they depend on all year.”

Accenture study confirms the holiday shopping season is growing

The online survey of 1,500 respondents determined that found that Americans plan to spend an average of 637 dollars per shopper on holiday purchases this year, with 28 percent planning to spend more than they had spent for the 2018 season. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they will spend the same amount as last year. While clothing, footwear and gift cards top the list for planned purchases, men plan to spend an average of 15 percent more than women.

Retail trends expected to affect holiday shopping

Several current retail trends are expected to have an impact on consumer behavior during the holiday shopping season. For example, as clothing rental services grow, Accenture's study determined that the trend is set to gain in upcoming months. Almost a quarter of all respondents said they would be likely to rent clothing for holiday parties, with 34 percent of millennials responding this way.

On a similar note, consumers are considering fashion waste in other ways when it comes to holiday shopping. Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) would give secondhand clothing as a gift, and more than half (56 percent) would be happy to receive secondhand fashion items as a gift.

“We have entered the era of ‘responsible retail,’ where consumers are becoming more environmentally and socially conscious and will increasingly turn to brands that not only talk about responsibility but demonstrate it through their business practices,” Standish said. “Retailers need to design their products and their business around responsible initiatives; those already on this path could have the edge over their competitors this holiday season and beyond.”

Image: Pexels