Consumer Trends for Holidays - Past, Present & Future [Infographic]

For brands and retailers, the holiday season is one of the few constants in the shopping calendar. Through pandemics and inflation, you can always rely on consumers to splurge over the festive season. 

Here are some statistics, trends and examples of programs that shape this shopping season!

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WHO SPENDS THE MOST

Spends

• $943 – $960B is the forecasted value of US holiday sales in 2022
• $82.2B is how much UK shoppers are forecasted to spend in 2022
• $832 is how much the average US shopper will spend in 2022

Country

• The US spends more in the holidays than any other country
• 1 in 10 Europeans borrow money or run up credit card debt during the holidays
• $53.9B was spent in store by UK shoppers in 2021

Demographic

• 62% of Gen Z and millennials say they’ll splurge over the holidays

• 86% of millennials research products online before purchasing in store

• Gen Z and Millennials spend most of their shopping time buying gifts for others

SOCIAL MEDIA, ONLINE SHOPPING AND THE METAVERSE
How Christmas Shopping Habits Have Changed

• 38% of holiday shoppers plan to use one or more hybrid shopping services
• 58% of consumers say social media influences their holiday shopping decisions
• 29% of US consumers say influencers help them discover holiday gifts
• 45% of millennials watch videos for holiday shopping ideas
• 66% of people are interested in using augmented reality (AR) to help them shop

5 MAIN SOURCES OF INSPIRATION FOR GIFT BUYING

1. Wish Lists   
2. Search Engines                       
3. Purchase History           
4. Brand Websites         
5. Online Reviews

HOLIDAY CONSUMER TRENDS

#1 Shoppers Curtail Holiday Spending

• 70% of US consumers will take inflation into consideration this holiday season
• 50% of UK consumers plan to cut back this Christmas

#2 Christmas Shopping Starts Earlier Than Ever

• 56% of US consumers started holiday shopping in October
• 17% of consumers started exploring holiday gift ideas in May

#3 Sustainability is Top of Mind

• 55% of consumers say sustainability is more important than value and product quality
• 83% of shoppers will look for more sustainable brands and products

#4 Online Gains More Ground on In-Store

• 40% of US consumers and 46% of UK consumers plan to do most of their holiday shopping online
• $204B was spent by US consumers online during the 2021 holiday season – the highest figure ever

HOLIDAY BRAND PROMOTIONS TO INSPIRE YOU

• Give the Gift of Time - Stella Artois raises funds for safe water through its annual partnership with water.org.
• Eco-Friendly Gift Guide - The Body Shop helps eco-friendly shoppers find more sustainable gifts with its festive gift guide.
• Is Your Pup Mistletoe Ready? - Mars Petcare incentivizes shoppers to buy Greenies dental treats and submit their in-store or online receipts to win pet gift cards.
• Become Someone’s Secret Santa - Cadbury UK promotes thoughtful gifting encouraging people to become Secret Santa’s with the gift of Cadbury.

The Icing on Your Christmas Cake

Discover how our best-in-class promotions and loyalty solutions can inject some festive fun into your holiday promotions to drive sales and engage your customers. Contact us to learn more

SOURCES

• https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-predicts-healthy-holiday-sales-consumers-navigate-economic

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/792411/christmas-sales-forecast-united-kingdom-uk/

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2022/11/06/retailers-should-expect-a-ho-ho-hum-holiday-2022/

• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/christmas-holiday-season-shopping-retail-gifts/

• https://www.retailresearch.org/shopping-for-christmas.html

• https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/us-holiday-shopping-2022-tis-the-season-to-be-cautiously-optimistic

• https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/how-millennials-shop-christmas-and-why-marketers-should-take-note/

• https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/20222-09-26-gartner-marketing-survey-finds-nearly-one-third-of-consumers-are-planning-to-spend-less-this-holiday-season

• https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/us-holiday-shopping-2021-strong-demand-meets-big-challenges

• https://www.facebook.com/business/insights/interactive-reports/holiday-shopping

• https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/ar-shopping-interest-statistics/

• https://blackfriday.com/news/black-friday-holiday-shopping-trends-2022

• https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/08/uk-retailers-braced-for-tough-christmas-as-shoppers-feel-squeeze-cost-of-living-crisis

• https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/turn-curiosity-into-customers/

• https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/how-data-making-business-case-sustainable-fashion/

• https://www.salesforce.com/blog/holiday-shopping-predictions/

• https://www.alixpartners.com/media-center/press-releases/2022-us-retail-holiday-sales-forecast/

• https://www.statista.com/topics/3157/uk-christmas-shopping/#dossierKeyfigures

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2022/01/12/holiday-e-commerce-hits-record-high-despite-6-billion-out-of-stock-messages-adobe-reports/

• https://water.org/stellaartois/

• https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/tips-and-advice/eco-friendly-gifting/e/e00147

• https://www.snipp.com/client/driving-retail-specific-holiday-sales-for-mars-petcare?hsLang=en

• https://www.thedrum.com/creative-works/project/vccp-cadbury-secret-santa