Consumer Behavior
Health products a big focus for holiday shoppers
November 3, 2021
More than half, 56%, of consumers will spend more on health product this holiday as compared to last year, with more men than women hitting the health product aisles.
Consumers also plan to spend more on groceries this season, about 22% more compared to last year, followed by fashion (18% more than 2020.)
Those are top findings of the Coresight Research x January Digital 2021 U.S. Holiday Insights Survey and related report on key consumer preferences for the 2021 holiday season, according to a press release.
"These findings align with our broader viewpoint on the upcoming holiday season," Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder, Coresight Research, said in the release. "We are expecting strong growth, with shoppers using both online and in-store channels. While we are expecting outperformance in apparel, particularly occasion wear, as well as toys and beauty, retailers are not going to be handed success on a platter. They will need to take a granular look at the trends, generational differences and category spending plans, and execute their promotional strategies to that playbook, keeping a laser focus on inventory and shifting demand."
Additional findings include:
- Consumers over age 60 are driving the e-commerce increase, from 52% to 59% YOY, while consumers aged 30-44 will spend more in-store.
- On average, U.S. consumers expect that 59% of their holiday spending will be online — up from 52% in 2020.
- 56% of U.S. shoppers will discover new products by browsing online, making it the most popular option for product discovery among U.S. consumers. At a close second and third for product discovery are word of mouth (52%) and those browsing physical stores (47%).
- Consumers over the age of 60 will account for much of the rise in e-commerce this holiday, which is a significant shift compared to 2020, with 71% of consumers over 60 expecting to spend more on online orders for home delivery this holiday season than they did last year. In the same age group, 16% indicated they will spend more on BOPIS or curbside-pickup orders this holiday.
- One-third of shoppers aged 30-44 reported they would spend more in-store than they did in the 2020 holiday season — a higher proportion than seen among other age groups that have greater preferences for online shopping and BOPIS/curbside fulfillment options.
