PHOTO:
Christian Wiediger
Forty-eight percent of US consumers said they plan to shift to online shopping this holiday season, according to a recent McKinsey study on consumer behaviors amidst the ongoing pandemic. A trend toward contactless, digital-first experiences is further illustrated by 73% of US shoppers saying theyâve tried a new shopping behavior this year, with 80% saying they intend to continue the new behavior. These new behaviors include buy online, pick-up in-store or curbside (BOPIS), or purchasing traditional in-store products such as groceries exclusively online.
This study, and many others like it, all point to the online experience rapidly becoming the primary experience for a consumer. Yet even with this flight to digital, consumers still expect brands to recognize them as the same customer across channels. In a recent Dynata survey commissioned by my firm, Redpoint, 70% of consumers said they will shop exclusively from brands that show they understand them this holiday season, with 66% saying they want a personalized experience to be consistent and frictionless, no matter the channel.