Consumer Behavior

COVID changing U.S. holiday shopper behavior

Photo by istock.com

November 24, 2020

More than half of U.S. consumers will shop less, or not at all, in a physical retail store this holiday due to concerns about COVID-19.

That's a prime finding of a Standard survey that polled 1,038 U.S. residents. More than half would feel safer in a physical store that offered touchless technology such as checkout-free option, according to a press release on the findings.

"The good news is that in-store shopping isn't going away," Jordan Fisher, Standard co-founder and CEO, said in the release. ""But there is a large proportion of consumers who are wary of shopping in stores right now. As this study reveals, retailers that are able to provide checkout-free experiences and other touchless technologies are going to be better equipped to draw customers into stores going forward."

Additional findings include:
• 36% will shop less in physical stores than in 2019.
• Another 23% will shop exclusively online.
• 68% said COVID-19 was a factor in deciding how to shop.

In addition to checkout-free tech, consumers are most likely to shop in a physical store offering self-checkout and touchless payment.