2020 Holiday Shopping Season

Many retailers are adapting their marketing playbooks as they prepare for an unprecedented holiday shopping season. The shopping weekend that stretches from Thanksgiving Thursday through Cyber Monday – often referred to as the ‘Cyber 5’ – will look different this year as retailers implement BOPIS and curbside pick-up options and announce plans to close their brick and mortar stores on Thanksgiving Day. Many retailers will also start their holiday promotions early to account for expected distribution and shipping delays given the surge in e-commerce volume since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak.

To help retailers better understand consumers’ 2020 holiday shopping mindset, we asked our audience when and where they plan to shop, and what they’re most concerned about this holiday shopping season. We also look at the ways consumers typically learn about sales from their favorite retailers and ask if higher shipping costs will impact their online purchase decisions this year. 

September 23, 2020

When do you typically begin your holiday shopping?

A bar graph comparing when consumers typically begin their holiday shopping

Will you begin shopping sooner this year to take advantage of early holiday deals?

54% of consumers plan to take advantage of early holiday deals.

54% of consumers said they would begin holiday shopping sooner this year to tage advantage of earlier deals.

Where are you most likely to do your holiday shopping this year?

75% of consumers plan to do their holiday shopping solely online or a combination of both online and in-store.

A circle graph comparing where consumers plan to do their holiday shopping.

Compared to other age groups, baby boomers and The Silent Generation are most likely to shop solely in-store. Millennials are most likely to do a combination of both in-store and online shopping.

A bar graph comparing where each generation plans to do their holiday shopping.

Which websites will you go to for your holiday shopping?

Those who plan to shop solely online or a combination of both will gravitate to Amazon (45%) and Walmart.com (27%) for their holiday shopping this season. Only 4% of shoppers plan to purchase gifts from Target's e-commerce website.

A circle graph breaking down what websites consumers plan to do their holiday shopping on.

Compared to other age groups, Gen Xers are most likely to go to Walmart.com for their holiday shopping this year.

A bar graph comparing what website each generation plans to use for their holiday shopping.

What is your biggest concern regarding holiday shopping this year?

Delivery delays are among consumers’ top concerns this holiday season (35%), followed by spending money on gifts (25%) and higher shipping fees (17%).

A circle graph breaking down consumers biggest holiday shopping concerns this year.

Gender Divides

  • Women are more likely to feel unsafe shopping in-store (17% v. 13%).
  • Men are more likely to worry about spending money on gifts (27% v. 24%).
A bar graph comparing what women vs. men are most concerned about this holiday shopping season.

Generational Divides

Older consumers are more concerned over in-store safety measures and spending money on gifts while younger generations express the most concern over higher shipping fees and delivery delays.

A bar graph breaking down what each generation is most concerned about this holiday shopping season.

What will matter most to you when shopping for the holidays this year?

Deals and discounts are most important to holiday shoppers this year (59%), followed by timely delivery (15%) and in-store safety measures (11%). Consumers are least concerned about curbside pick-up options (5%).

A circle graph comparing what will matter most to consumers when holiday shopping this year.

Gender Divides

Customer service and curbside pick-up options matter more to men than women.

A bar graph comparing what will matter most to women vs. men when holiday shopping this year.

Generational Divides

Compared to other generations, Gen Zers are most likely to value timely delivery (18%) and curbside pick-up (10%). Gen Xers and baby boomers are least likely to value curbside pick-up options.

A bar graph comparing what will matter most to each generation when holiday shopping this year.

September 1, 2020

Has the pandemic had an impact on how you plan to shop for the holidays this year?

59

of consumers say that the pandemic will impact their holiday shopping plans this year.

59% of consumers say the pandemic will impact their holiday shopping plans

Will you be shopping for the holidays earlier to make up for expected delivery delays this year?

56% of consumers say they will be doing their holiday shopping earlier to account for expected delivery delays.

56% of consumers will do their holiday shopping earlier this year for expected delivery delays

Gender Divides

Women are more likely than men to anticipate shipping delays and start their holiday shopping early.

57% of women will shop earilier because of shipping delays vs. 53% of men

Generational Divides

Compared to other generations, Gen Zers are most likely to start their holiday shopping early to account for delivery delays.

A bar graph comparing which generations will start holiday shopping earlier

When are you planning to do most of your shopping this holiday season?

21% of Americans plan to do their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, up 78% compared to last year.

A circle graph breaking down when respondents plan to do most of their holdiay shopping

Gender Divides

Women are more likely than men to do most of their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving.

A bar graph compairing women vs. mens plans to do their holiday shopping.

Generational Divides

Younger consumers are more likely to do the bulk of their holiday shopping on Black Friday, while older consumers plan to get their holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving. Across the board, few consumers will do their shopping on Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday.

A bar graph compaing when each generation plans to do their holiday shopping.

Will higher shipping fees impact your decision to make online purchases?

50% of consumers admit that higher shipping fees will impact their decision to make online purchases this holiday shopping season.

50% of consumers admit shipping fees will impact their online shopping choices this holiday season

How do you typically learn about big sales from retail stores?

22% of consumers learn about retail sales from TV commercials, followed by social media ads (19%), and email (12%).

A circle graph comparing how consumers typically learn about big box store sales

Gender Divides

Women are more likely to learn about sales via flyers and email while men are more likely to find out via TV commercials.

A bar graph comparing how women vs. men hear about big box store sales

Generational Divides

Gen Z is more likely to rely on social media ads to learn about sales, while baby boomers are more likely to rely on retail circulars and flyers.

A bar graph comparing how each generation hears about sales at big box stores.

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FAQs

How is this data collected?

‘Fluent Pulse’ reflects a daily online survey collected across Fluent’s portfolio of owned & operated websites.

Who is the audience?

Fluent attracts a massive audience across its network of owned media properties. While all segments of the US population are represented, the below are our most prevalent demographic skews:

Demographic Attribute Over Penetrated Among
Age Median: 38

61% between the age of 18 & 44
Gender 50/50 Male/Female
Education High School Degree or Some College
Homeownership 61% Renters
Households with Children 42% of Audience

How many people were surveyed?

On average, 150,000 – 175,000 consumers respond daily.

How often do you engage with this audience?

Daily

Is the data weighted?

No, but representative of the overall Fluent Audience.

How do you protect consumers data privacy?

All responses related to this survey are anonymized; only survey responses will be disclosed. At no point will consumer’s personal information will ever be disclosed.

What was your methodology?

Data has been collected from U.S. adults on a daily or weekly basis, dependent upon topic, since March 10, 2020. All data is sourced from Fluent’s portfolio of owned and operated media properties. Results are specific to the Fluent audience and not reflective of the general U.S. population.

The data presented on this site does not reflect the official opinion, policy or position of Fluent, Inc. This research is only meant to inform and illustrate, as an example, the rich data assets Fluent can derive insights from to drive in-market strategies.