Get Ready for 2020 Holiday Season: 5 Consumer Behavior Shifts

Holiday shopping considerations begin early. According to a survey conducted by Amazon, 64% of respondents say they plan to do their holiday shopping during November 16th-30th which is already next week!

And according to Google, 73% of US holiday shoppers say they plan on doing more holiday shopping this year compared to last.

What does this mean for you, sellers? It’s time to plan out your holiday marketing strategy!

While there’s no question that the holidays will look different this year, it will continue to be a season of peak demand and a critical time to connect with shoppers. Explore our guide to learn more about trends we’re seeing, and the solutions that will help you stay ahead of them.

Before we jump into how you can get the most out of this year’s biggest sale event, let’s take a look at the shifts in consumers’ shopping behavior that’s gonna shape the 2020 holiday season.

To help retailers be ready for this holiday season, experts from Think with Google identified five shifts in shopping behavior.

1. Deal-seeking

Shoppers are seeking deals due to tighter budgets: in June, searches for “best affordable” had grown globally by over 60% year over year.

2. Early consideration

This year, holiday shopping started sooner. As of the end of August, 27% of U.S. shoppers said they have already started their holiday shopping.

3. Digital newcomers

More people are using digitally enabled tools and buying online for the first time. And they’ll continue to do so. More than 50% of surveyed shoppers tried a new shopping service for the first time.

4. Shopping with a purpose

People are looking to help each other by shopping with retailers who represent their values. In fact, 46% of surveyed U.S. shoppers agreed that “I make a deliberate effort to shop at businesses that align with my values.”

5. Focus on new brands

While shopping online, people are willing to buy from new brands to get what they want, but they’re still seeking safety and familiarity. For example, during the pandemic, almost one-third of U.S. shoppers have purchased from a brand that was new to them.

What does it mean to small eCommerce businesses and Amazon sellers who are in the early stages of their journey? How can you leverage from these consumer behavior trends to get ahead of the competition? Stay tuned for the second part of the blog where we’ll share tips from Amazon advertising.

In the meantime, check out our holiday content menu that we developed to help you get ready for the biggest sale event of the year (and, arguably, of the decade):

We don't know about you, but this is an offer that we would definitely take advantage of. So if you're ready to refresh your amazon listing for the Holiday Season, contact us here, and let's make the last few months of the year merry and bright.