Consumer Behavior

Cyber Monday will beat Black Friday, reveals survey

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November 6, 2020

When it comes to the busiest shopping day of the holiday season, one study claims the winner will be Cyber Monday, the Monday following Black Friday, and online shopping will dominate in-store retail activity.

Those are top findings from an Allocadia survey on consumer shopping plans, expectations and preferences. Allocadia is a marketing performance management provider. The study polled more than 1,000 U.S. consumers regarding online shopping.

Less than half of American consumers, 48%, do not plan to participate in Black Friday retail shopping, and 61% will shop on Cyber Monday. Last year 36% conducted holiday shopping in the store environment and just 23% expect to do the same this year, according to a press release on the survey results.

"The confirmed shift from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce is due in part to consumers' desire to avoid crowded stores and malls, maintain social distancing and limit potential COVID-19 exposure," stated the release, which noted 36% of American shoppers do not feel comfortable shopping in-store.

When it comes to stores, more Americans plan to purchase gifts at big box stores rather than small businesses, with 48% planning to purchase holiday gifts online via a big box store, and 41% say they will make gift purchases in-person at those same big box retailers.

The pandemic, according to the release, is also driving an increased interest in more practical, usable gifts, with 52% reporting they will focus holiday gift-giving on more essential items such as clothes, food and money.

"Our survey data confirms that the shift to online shopping is in full swing. Marketers need to allocate even more budget to digital channels and test as many new digital offerings as possible to win consumers' attention in a very noisy, competitive marketplace," Julia Stead, chief marketing officer for Allocadia, said in the release. "These changes to behavior — as well as new attitudes around practicality and diversity — mean that marketers should be paying close attention to budgeting techniques that optimize marketing spend while meeting consumers where, when and how they are inclined to buy, particularly in today's uncertain times."