Online shopping uptick expected to continue for holidays
Online shopping uptick expected to continue for holidays
Tomorrow is Black Friday. A recent survey from Deloitte found that nearly 60% of people are anxious about shopping in a store right now, with COVID cases rising across the country. And about 75% say they’re planning to shop online to avoid crowds.
What does this mean for the holiday shopping season?
More people have been shopping online during the pandemic than ever. Brendan Witcher, an analyst at Forrester, said “there’s no doubt that it’s going to go up from here” during the holidays.
That will benefit big online retailers. But, Witcher said, a lot of people are also likely to do their shopping later this year because their holiday plans are still up in the air.
“And until we know when we’re going to see someone, we’re not going to make our choice on when to buy that gift,” he said.
That could give small, local businesses an advantage, he said, if they offer last-minute curbside pickup or same-day delivery.
Emily Gloekler is trying to offer as many options as possible for customers to shop at her Chicago boutique, One Strange Bird — in-store, online, curbside, delivery.
“I’m happy for people to call in. I love curating individual gifts for people,” Gloekler said.
November has been slow, she said. But she’s been encouraged by the number of customers who’ve told her they’re planning to shop locally.
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