New research from Kinetic reports that 90% of U.K. internet users will shop online for holiday gifts this year, and 52% will do most of their holiday shopping online. Is your brand ready?
The data from the Kinetic research report shows that while more than half of U.K. internet users will do most of their holiday shopping online this year, just 28% expect to do most of their holiday shopping in high street shops and only 20% expect to shop in malls. All is not lost for high street shops and shopping malls though. Those simply aren’t the locations where U.K. shoppers expect to do most of their shopping this holiday season.
The shift to online shopping for holiday gifts is even more pronounced in specific categories. For example, the number of U.K. internet users who plan to purchase holiday gifts of CDs and DVDs online is twice as high as the number who plan to buy CDs and DVDs in stores. On the other hand, U.K. internet users are twice as likely to purchase holiday gifts of homeware and furniture items in stores rather than online. Specific category results follow:
- Clothing and footwear: Online = 29%; In-store = 42%
- Perfume and cosmetics: Online = 26%; In-store = 38%
- Toys and games: Online = 38%; In-store = 37%
- Jewelry and watches: Online = 17%; In-store = 28%
- Books: Online = 50%; In-store =27%
- CDs/DVDs: Online = 58%; In-store = 24%
- Homeware and furniture: Online = 10%; In-store = 20%
- Electronics: Online = 32%; In-store = 18%
- Sport items: Online = 16%; In-store = 17%
One thing is for certain, online shopping is the preferred method of shopping for holiday gifts. Overall, 90% of U.K. internet users planned to shop for holiday gifts online this year, but 84% also expected to shop on the high street, and 79% still planned to shop in shopping malls and shopping centers. However, these study results highlight the transition away from brick-and-mortar retail shopping to online shopping, and this transition away from brick-and-mortar shopping will continue to grow as more people become comfortable shopping from their mobile devices.
Is your brand ready with marketing campaigns and messages that leverage consumers’ transitioning shopping preferences? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: Charles Thompson
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
