It’s no secret that millennials are among the most frequent online shopping patrons. In fact, the purchasing power of millennials is estimated to be $170 billion per year! With that in mind, you would think that, during Christmas shopping season, millennials will take to the internet to do what they do best. However, when it comes to Christmas shopping, 55% of them would rather go traditional Christmas shopping than getting their gifts online. It seems that the driving force behind the desire to go shopping is social motivation, as many people do their holiday shopping with others. While millennials often use the internet for shopping, many marketing professionals are underplaying the role of brick-and-mortar stores during the holiday season when marketing their products to the younger audience.
For some, it’s an opportunity to catch up with friends and family during “the most wonderful time of the year”, or simply a tradition. For others, it’s about stumbling upon a gift for themselves while they hit the mall. If holiday shopping is seen as a social event, brands need to find a way to make their in-store experiences as delightful, fun, and sociable as possible to keep this in-store holiday shopping trend up for years to come.
When it comes to an example of encouraging in store-holiday shopping, Lincoln’s own Shop The Blocks in November did just that. Shop The Blocks is an annual holiday celebration in downtown Lincoln where boutiques, jewelers, book stores, apparel shops, and speciality stores stay open late for one night for you and your fellow shoppers to enjoy special discounts, giveaways, and appetizers from surrounding restaurants. The idea of Shop The Blocks is to spend an evening downtown getting into the holiday spirit with friends and family. All access passes to the event included entry into the Single Barrel after party, where the socializing continued on after the stores closed.
The trend of going into stores and holiday shopping with friends and family is by no means bringing down online shopping during the holiday season. Many people, myself included, use online shopping to determine where the best deals are on specific items before they go and purchase them. The use of online shopping during the holidays also makes the prominence of big shopping days like Black Friday smaller. With retail websites being so easily accessible, everyday is a “shopping day,” and there is less of a reason to stand in long lines outside of stores or battle your way through the crowds on busy shopping days. Last year Google saw a steady interest in searches for “gifts and presents” all season long, rather than huge spikes during Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
While the long lines and crowds may seem daunting, many shoppers will be taking to the brick-and-mortar stores this year for the shopping experience. What does this mean for marketers? Instead of marketing only to the online shopper, try highlighting the family and friend experience and how that experience of shopping at your store outweighs the benefits of the staying at home. Happy shopping!