Abbey is a digital marketer, copywriter, and lead editor. She has worked on over 200 client campaigns and WebFX, and she specializes in marketing strategy analysis and industry-specific digital marketing plans. Outside of writing and editing, you’ll likely find her taking pictures of her cat, making a new playlist, or tending to her houseplants.
Expert insights from
Shannon PetschLead Internet Marketing Consultant
“If we’re waiting until Q4 to plan budgets for the holiday season, it’s too late. Budgets are now being set by September at the latest to take advantage of the entire holiday season!”
When you think of holiday shopping, you might be expecting a consistent build throughout the year, with utter chaos from Black Friday until the New Year. However, things have changed in the past few years, and holiday shopping trends look a lot different now!
Keeping up with holiday shopping trends can save you stress and time on preparing for the end of the year. Below are the top nine 2024 holiday shopping trends to watch:
Read on for holiday shopping statistics and trends for 2024! Or, if you want to learn even more about optimizing your ecommerce business, call 888-601-5359 to chat with a strategist!
The first holiday trend to note is that people are actively looking for deals when they shop for the holidays. That means that if you are offering a lower price than your competitors, you give yourself a huge advantage.
If you aren’t sure where to start, you can use search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) content to get your site on the SERPs:
Customers have more purchasing power now, so they can afford to shop around and find the best deal. Don’t hesitate to sweeten the deal and promote your sales as before they happen to attract people to your site.
Despite inflation and changes in the economy, people are still shopping. In fact, they’re shopping more and more every year during the holidays.
So, what does that mean for businesses?
Well, hearing that people are buying more is great news! But you should still be pushing your content, services, and products during the holiday shopping period to make sure you’re seeing those sales.
3. Many people start purchasing before November
Expert insights from
Shannon PetschLead Internet Marketing Consultant
“There’s no longer the same ‘urgency’ that there once was to get the best deal on Black Friday. Deals are happening from Halloween–Christmas now, and people know they can wait.”
26% of people started (or planned to start) making purchases in October, compared to 37% in December
All the holiday shopping stats and trends point to the fact that people aren’t waiting to buy anymore. We’ve all felt the holiday rush and pressure to get everything done in December, but sometimes it’s better to get started early.
That’s why many people start planning their shopping as early as the end of summer into early fall. With Prime Day happening in October and Cyber Monday in November, Black Friday doesn’t hold quite as much weight as it used to. Buyers can get ahead and stagger purchases while getting a good deal.
However, while some people like to get started early, there is still a last-minute push in December. So, you can plan for those last-minute deals to help the procrastinating shoppers.
4. Retailer sites and apps are the most important channels
96% of Americans have made at least one online purchase in their life
We know ecommerce is not slowing down — millions of people shop online for the holidays (and throughout the rest of the year). If your site or app isn’t up to par, you could miss out on sales.
Building an efficient ecommerce site is more than just a few product pages and descriptions. Your site should include:
Promotions and deals
Helpful navigation
A clear return and exchange policy
FAQs and customer service
Secure checkout
Images and videos
Consumers look at all these features before making a purchase, and they will choose another site if yours doesn’t feel like a good fit.
5. Fast delivery is a must
Stats To Know
54% of shoppers like to buy online because they get direct delivery to their home
62% of shoppers expect their orders to arrive in less than 3 business days
Consumers don’t want to wait for their orders. When the convenience of shopping online extends to shipping, you must consider it as part of your strategy. Even sites like Amazon highlight their fast shipping options to make it easier on the buyer:
If they’re in a pinch, the consumer just has to ask, “Which will get here the fastest?”
Moving forward, if you can find ways to improve your shipping times and prices, that’s always a plus. If not, a solid return and exchange policy can also encourage purchases by making buyers feel more secure in their order.
6. “Buy now, pay later” is a crucial payment method
Stats To Know
85% is how much higher average order values are when shoppers use “buy now, pay later”
45% of people make purchases with “buy now, pay later” they wouldn’t otherwise make
“Buy now, pay later” is a credit-style payment option where you can make a purchase immediately and then pay it off over time. Klarna and Afterpay are two popular companies who offer this service:
Since so many people use “buy now, pay later” as a payment option (and spend more when they do), it’s worth adding it to encourage purchases. One option is to set a minimum price to encourage upselling, which is what many companies offer.
7. Most people use Amazon for holiday shopping
Stats To Know
53% of U.S. adults begin product searches on Amazon when planning to make a purchase
74% of users who primarily shopped online said they did most of their online shopping at Amazon
Amazon reigns supreme as the ecommerce giant. That means that if you aren’t selling on Amazon, you’re likely missing out on a huge potential customer pool.
Creating an Amazon storefront is an easy way to boost your sales and open a new channel for purchases. You could even link to your Amazon shop on your website if you don’t have an ecommerce setup.
If you want to start selling on Amazon to get your footing before the holidays, WebFX offers SEO services for Amazon and more to help you target the algorithm and get your products in front of buyers.
97% of Gen Z participants in one study are most likely to shop at brick-and-mortar stores compared to other generations
30% of Gen Z respondents in another study cited the ability to get products immediately for their reasoning behind shopping in store
While it may be surprising, Gen Z is the most likely generation to make a purchase in stores, not their elders. According to this study, the main reason they like to shop in store is that they can get products immediately, as opposed to waiting for an online order.
However, other studies point to a trend toward more online shopping, so these figures may change over the coming years. But as it stands, if you want to reach Gen Z, physical stores are not out of the question.
9. Price is the biggest factor impacting purchases
Stats To Know
60% of millennials use mobile devices to compare prices and look for discounts
9% of people say they prefer to shop online because they can easily compare prices
Finally, the last holiday shopping trend is the importance of prices. Overall, consumers are more concerned about price opposed to any other factor. With a turbulent few years of inflation and economic changes, more and more people are being conscious about what they buy and when.
So, how can you prepare for this trend? You should be:
Making it clear how your product will benefit the user
Offer discounts when possible
Provide great customer service
Share reviews of your product that show its features and benefits
Make sure you offer competitive pricing for your industry
All of these tactics will help you sell your audience, even if you don’t have a low price point.
Partner with a team of ecommerce masters!
WebFX campaigns have delivered more than 14,936,451 ecommerce transactions in the last 5 years
Want to target holiday shopping trends? Look no further than WebFX!
If you want to incorporate all these holiday shopping trends into your strategy, we can help. WebFX has worked with 2,000+ clients across 200+ industries, meaning we can handle whatever you want to accomplish.
Whether you want to launch a holiday-specific ad campaign or improve your marketing year-round, our ecommerce services will make all the difference in your results. We’ve driven 24,859,684 leads and $10,085,355,239+ in revenue so far, and those numbers keep growing.
Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
Abbey is a digital marketer, copywriter, and lead editor. She has worked on over 200 client campaigns and WebFX, and she specializes in marketing strategy analysis and industry-specific digital marketing plans. Outside of writing and editing, you’ll likely find her taking pictures of her cat, making a new playlist, or tending to her houseplants.
