lost at the mall: trends in holiday shopping behavior

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AT THE MALL

Trends in Holiday Shopping Behavior

LOST

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Placeable is always looking to help brands better understand how customers find them online and at their doorstep.

During the holiday season, consumer shopping behavior becomes less predictable - but even more important to understand. With this in mind, Placeable examined how gift buying during the holidays differs from the usual retail search and discovery process. It also sought to identify the trends that will determine how to retain customers throughout the year - not just during the holidays.

Placeable surveyed 1,000 consumers to learn their perspectives and found that consumers tend to stray from their comfort zones during the holiday season and also have high expectations for finding locally relevant information on national retailers’ sites.

retail research AND DISCOVERY

Placeable Holiday Research



In order to buy gifts for their family and friends,

of consumers plan to shop at a national retailer they don’t normally

visit visit.

The implications for national retailers are clear: You will see new faces in your stores this holiday season. These are shoppers that plan on going to an unfamiliar retailer with the specific intention of buying the perfect gift.

Make sure these customers can find your locations, and optimize their experience to convert these one-time shoppers into loyal-repeat customers.

of consumers earning $100,000+ plan to shop at a chain store they don’t

typically buy from.

Affluent shoppers are even more likely. During the holidays,go to new

STORES 58% 64%shoppers will




6 out of 10 shoppers will consult a brand’s website before going to physical store to make a purchase.

89% of shoppers expect location-specific content.

86% of shoppers trust that content to be up-to-date.

Retailers must fulfill shoppers’ information needs. Consumers checking a store website before visiting during the holidays expect to find local information like holiday hours, parking directions, in-store events, and promotions.

Furthermore, you must implement tools and processes to ensure this content is accurate, relevant and updated.

check yourWEBSITE FIRST

shoppers will




Only 15% of consumers will call the store for directions.

National retailers need to provide an omnichannel experience that supplements local web pages with optimized locators for mobile devices, along with click-to-call capabilities.

By anticipating the ways lost shoppers will seek directions to a new or unfamiliar store, brands will establish a positive customer experience before they even step foot in the door.

shoppers will useMOBILE PHONES

More than 40% of consumers will use a smartphone to navigate to a store if they’re having difficulty finding it.




56% of consumers shop for the holidays while away from home. Women especially, at 64%.

No shopper wants to lose their way - but it’s significantly more likely to happen when they are doing their holiday shopping while traveling, another seasonal trend.

These out-of-town shoppers present another lucrative opportunity for retailers - but they also underscore the importance of having a polished, user-friendly digital presence that includes mobile-optimized store locators and easily accessible local store information.

shoppers will

FROM HOME


buy away



Retailers need to adopt digital marketing tactics to ensure that these once-a-year shoppers can not only find the perfect gift, but that they leave with a positive impression and remain happy customers beyond the holiday season.

A crucial part of this is making sure that your online location data is accurate and consistent across the web - so that whether a shopper finds your address on your site, an online map, a directory or a search engine, they can navigate to your storefront.

of shoppers will give up completely on a gift search due to erroneous location

information.

13% 21%of shoppers will abandon the physical search, but will go home and order the

gift for the retailer’s website.

shoppers determinedto give theBEST GIFT




Technology has made holiday shoppers better-informed and more efficient - and it has

also increased their expectations of retailers. In order to lure new visitors to their stores and

retain their loyal longtime customers, brand must provide the online experience and up-to-

date local information that consumers demand. If not, shoppers will lose confidence and

trust - and you will lose their business.

National brands seeking to compete effectively in local markets have unique challenges in

driving consumer awareness, online and mobile visibility, web and store traffic, and revenue

growth. Placeable’s automated SaaS platform is designed to help brands cost-effectively

win customers by establishing a local digital presence that produces greater visibility,

improved conversions, increased traffic and sales growth.

To learn more, visit www.placeable.com or call 1.855.433.7133.

shopping has

evolved withTECHNOLOGY


Survey MethodologyPlaceable surveyed more than 1,000 consumers in August 2014 through an online survey. Responses were collected from male and female respondents, ages 18 and up in the United States. Respon-dents were selected at random and participated voluntarily and anonymously. The survey consisted of twelve multiple-option questions.

lost at the mall: trends in holiday shopping behavior

Marketing

holiday season

onetime shoppers

affluent shoppers

shoppers information

holiday hours

unfamiliar store

store website

store events