Consumers Prefer Omnichannel Shopping and Email Communications with Brands

Treasure Data,™ the leading enterprise customer data platform (CDP), today unveiled the results of a survey identifying American consumers’ plans, preferences and expectations for the 2021 holiday shopping season. The survey confirms the extent to which shopping trends popularized from the pandemic, such as curbside pickup and delivery, are here to stay.

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According to the survey, two-thirds of consumers (66%) are buying online now more than they did prior to the pandemic, creating the conditions for another complex holiday shopping season. Nearly half of consumers (47%) plan to do a combination of in-store and online shopping for the holidays, with over one-third (39%) skipping brick-and-mortar altogether in favor of e-commerce options.

“The retail industry has demonstrated incredible resiliency the past year and a half,” said Tom Treanor, CMO of Treasure Data. “To meet customers across their favorite channels this holiday season, retailers need a data foundation that can easily integrate with online and offline data sources for enriched customer intelligence and a more seamless customer experience.”

Overall, the survey reveals trends that emerged from the pandemic, including a hybrid approach to shopping both online and in-store, which remains prevalent with shoppers today.

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• Online Food Shopping Not a Fad: While 60% of consumers prefer buying their groceries in-person, 58% are still using online delivery services like InstaCart, Amazon Fresh and DoorDash.
• You’ve Got Email. Omnichannel brand interactions continue to flourish, with marketing communications via email (73%) and text (45%) being favored the most, followed by social media (33%) and push notifications (24%). Notably, most people (82%) use their primary personal email address when creating accounts with retailers.
• Privacy Over Personalization: The majority of respondents (78%) value their privacy over customized marketing (22%).
• Clicks and Bricks: More than 80% of consumers have utilized “buy online, pick-up in store” offerings. While this remains the shopping method of choice for 32% of consumers, 68% still prefer home delivery for purchases made online.
• Direct-to-Consumer Has a Place: It’s worth it for brands to carve out their own channel, with 67% of consumers recently purchasing a product directly from the brand that they otherwise would have purchased at a big-box retailer.
• Auto’s Digital Transformation: Online shopping is driving more and more auto purchases, with 30% of consumers purchasing a vehicle online and three-quarters of consumers (75%) relying on online research before visiting the dealership.

“As more customers embrace a hybrid shopping experience, it becomes increasingly important that retailers harmonize data from every touchpoint, no matter if it’s in-store, through an app, or online,” added Treanor. “Gaining access to those granular insights in real-time enables brands to truly personalize the entire customer journey.”

The survey findings are based on a national survey of 1,000 U.S. citizens, conducted in July 2021.

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