Holiday shopping trends have changed drastically over the past decade. As we enter into the holiday season of festive cheer, celebrations and gift-giving, we need to think about how shoppers are buying for their loved ones. People no longer look to go in-store and browse for hours, hunting for the perfect present. Now it is about online stores.
People want to sit at home in the warmth and shop online or shop while they are on the go. This means ecommerce shops, mobile and desktop, need to be in top form for the festive period. You need to make sure the user experience is pleasant, appealing and simple. If buying from your online store is hard, you will lose the sale and an opportunity for the customer to return.
To help you prioritise this Christmas, we have listed the top three holiday shopping trends and how you can make sure your ecommerce business does not disappoint.
The biggest Christmas holiday shopping trends for 2019
#1 – Around half of online shopping will be done through a mobile device
With the world constantly on the go and the festive season picking up, people will be turning to their mobile device to buy Christmas presents. Whether they purchase products or add gift ideas to their Wishlist, you need to ensure your ecommerce website is responsive and in top form for mobile devices.
If the mobile user experience is not enjoyable, shoppers will abandon your site and find the products they want somewhere else. It is important that you create simplified navigation and a smooth checkout process. If your site is over complicated, hard to read or has a poor checkout process, you will lose sales.
#2 – Click and collect is on the rise
As people turn to the internet to complete their Christmas shopping, they look for a quicker and more reliable way of receiving their orders. This is where click and collect is quickly becoming a must-have holiday shopping trend. The option to buy online and collect within a 48 hour time period removes the stress of shipping dates, the need to be home to sign for the package or any potential delays in shipping.
Click and collect is more about receiving the products quickly, rather than convenience. As an online retailer, you need to consider your fulfilment processes to ensure you can meet the demands of your shoppers this Christmas.
#3 – Don’t forget about the Millennial mindset
Millennial’s holiday shopping trends are different. They don’t want to spend hours in-store shopping finding the perfect gift for their loved ones. It needs to be all about convenience! Millennials will look online before they buy. They will search for what they want on your website before they come to your store, making the shopping process easy and painless.
If they don’t get an opportunity to plan ahead, Millennial’s will shop online while they shop in-store. They will be searching for the best deals online as they browse through all the goodies in-store. So, it is well worth keeping your website in tip-top shape and your sales or Christmas deals at the forefront of the website.
Help your customers buy the perfect gift this Christmas
Get your ecommerce business ready for the Christmas season! Now is the perfect time to update and amend your ecommerce business so that every shopper has the perfect buying journey and lives up to the holiday shopping trends of this year. We are ecommerce specialists, we will help decipher the problems with your user journey to ensure you get a journey that encourages conversions. Contact us to discuss your brief and maximise your sales throughout the gift-giving season.
