American consumers miss offline shopping on Black Friday

According to a recent U.S. consumer survey, two-fifths (43%) of Americans will miss the hustle and bustle of offline shopping on Black Friday .

The survey of 2,003 U.S. adult consumers found that 95% plan to shop on Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday this year , with a third planning to do so both online and offline this year .

The survey shows that 46% of respondents choose to shop online in order to avoid queuing , 36% of respondents do so to reduce the risk of the epidemic (36%) , and 31% of respondents said they choose to shop online in order to avoid staying up all night .

However, the survey, commissioned by UserTesting and conducted by OnePoll, found that the trend of shopping in offline physical stores seems to be becoming popular again .

46% of respondents said they get more instant gratification when shopping in physical stores , and more Gen Z respondents than Millennials said the main driver for participating in offline shopping events is instant gratification (81% vs. 49%).

Overall, 42% said Black Friday is more important to them now than before the pandemic, with nearly half (49%) of those surveyed being male .

On the other hand, 63% of respondents believe that shopping in physical stores on Black Friday is a tradition. Some people expressed the hope that some e-commerce features could be integrated into physical stores , such as being able to see which products are in which aisle in real time (51%) or being able to use promotional codes or electronic coupons (47%).

" The pandemic has certainly made many people miss offline shopping on Black Friday, but it has also raised their expectations, " said Janelle Estes, chief insights officer at UserTesting. " Our research shows that nearly half of consumers who plan to shop in physical stores on Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday this year want smart shopping guides so they can easily find the products they want to buy . "

Despite ongoing inflation, nearly a third (31%) of respondents expect to spend more on Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday this year than in previous years. Three years ago, the average spend during the event was $441, while this year most respondents plan to buy more than $557 worth of goods.

Janelle added: “ With 42% of respondents still saying they plan to shop online this Black Friday , offline brands need to continue to work hard to bridge the gap between the offline and online shopping experiences. This can be done by using features such as augmented reality, live video shopping or digital kiosks to attract consumers to shop . ”

For online sellers, how to demonstrate their advantages over offline stores is the key issue they should consider now.

USA

Black Friday