Each year as the holiday season approaches, people want to find good deals, for the best value, with the best customer experience and purchasing ease. This is driving many holiday gift shoppers to online shopping. According to Statista, online sales during the holiday season are projected to be over 280 billion dollars in the United States.
When asked, “What do you like about online shopping versus in-store shopping?” One person stated that they prefer online shopping due to the stock availability and the ability to return items easily if needed.
Online shopping is a great avenue for consumers as it is a low pressure experience where consumers can take their time. This allows the consumer to enjoy the variety of products available and the ability to be Informed about their purchase, comparing products and pricing. Furthermore, consumers are able to save money as they take advantage of lower prices and promotional sales available when shopping online.
As businesses work to provide quality online customer experience, they are also faced with the challenge to help consumers avoid buyers’ block and provide items that fit their budgets.
This year we are seeing businesses putting out early Black Friday sales along with gift buying guides that are tailored to budget, person, and item genre. These methods incentivise the consumers to make purchases as they are looking through the sales guides realizing the urgency to make a purchase or otherwise miss out on a good deal.
The combination of gift guides and early Black Friday deals catches the consumers attention and points them to action which helps consumers to avoid buyers block. These methods lead to action and make the holiday shopping experience easier and convenient for consumers. It also can alleviate the stress of finding the perfect gift within their budget as this year, many shoppers will make their purchasing decision based on the price.
When a business focuses on the customer during the holiday buying season, they will find more customers choosing them and making more purchases in the future. People want to be valued, cared about, and intentionally thought about. They do not want the same shopping experience they had five years ago. They want the business to understand that this year, they have a budget that they need to stay within as they are dealing with higher costs all around.
Please note that this blog post is part of an assignment for JOUR 356 through Liberty University.