Holiday Shopping Season 2022: Lean Into Local.
The State Of Holiday Shopping in 2022
The last several years have been filled with unpredictability in the retail world. Sellers both online and offline have had to constantly adjust and readjust to the effects of a global pandemic, supply chain shortages, and inflation. But one thing has remained constant each year: the consumer demand around the holiday shopping season.
Consumer shopping behavior has been shifting as online and offline worlds merge. Shoppers are still largely using the internet to shop for products, but they more often complete the actual purchase at a local store. After 30+ years in the retail industry, this is why I started Locally; brands and retailers should offer shoppers a simple, intuitive solution to bridge the gap between online-to-offline shopping.
The online-to-local shopper is going to be an even more common customer this year with both inflation and shipping costs at historic highs. People will be looking for ways to shop inventory near them to save costs on shipping and to find the best deals.
Brands will conquer this holiday shopping season if they lean into what shoppers are already doing: using the internet to make purchasing decisions, then shopping at stores nearby. The key to success this season is capitalizing on this change in customer behavior. Let’s look at the stats:
In-store shopping is the number one preferred shopping method this holiday season, surpassing online shopping.*
78% of shoppers plan to utilize Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) for holiday shopping this year*
Google searches for “products near me” are up 90% year over year**
It’s clear that shoppers want to shop close to home. They aren’t worried about the notion of sales channels like businesses are, they don’t think about fitting into an e-commerce or a wholesale box. Consumers are only concerned about quickly finding products they want, then purchasing them in the quickest, most cost-effective way—and the fastest, most cost-effective way is unquestionably local.
The brands that successfully cater to the online-to-local shopper will certainly be the ones who come out on top this year. But how can this be done in a way that’s positive for you as a brand, positive for retailers, and positive for shoppers?
*bluedot Holiday Shopping Habits 2022, **Google Data, US English, Dec 21, 2021 - Feb 18, 2022 vs Dec 21, 2020 - Feb 18, 2021
How To Lean Into Local
Winning the online-to-offline shopper is about providing a smooth experience for customers from browsing online to making a final purchase in-store. Locally provides solutions for brands of every size to create a frictionless omnichannel experience for shoppers.
Optimize Your Website For Online-to-Offline
When shoppers are looking for products from your brand, the first place they will go is your website. Remember, shoppers aren’t worried about sales channels. They aren’t thinking online or offline, they’re saying yes to both. Some shoppers will purchase directly from your website, but most will choose to look for your products nearby. Locally helps you close the gap between online and offline to convert the shoppers who don’t make an e-commerce purchase.
Make your website an asset to holiday shoppers with:
Easy BOPIS/ROPIS transactions
A user-friendly product locator
An accurate dealer locator
Location-specific landing pages
Locally offers each of these solutions—and they’re all powered by real-time inventory from thousands of retail locations worldwide. Holiday shopping is stressful. Shoppers don’t want to be running around from store to store looking for your products. Your website should be able to show shoppers exactly where to find your products nearby.
Reach out to the Locally team to learn more about our best-in-class solutions. There’s still time to get started as 23% of all holiday purchases take place during the last two weeks of the year!** Locally’s team prioritizes quick implementation and can have your tools ready to embed in just one day.
Strengthen Your Dealer Network
Local stores are truly set to be the stars of this year’s holiday shopping. As I mentioned before, consumers have named in-store shopping as their number one choice for the holidays, more than online or in-app shopping. That’s why Locally has partnered with Google this year to offer retailers free inventory integration on all Google surfaces including Search and Business Profiles.
According to Google’s own data, searches for “products near me” have increased 90% year over year, and 94% of holiday shoppers searched online before making a purchase in-store.** Our Google partnership shows shoppers available stock at stores nearby when they search for products from your brand. If shoppers can see that a product is in-stock near them, they are more likely to make a purchase—and when your products are easy to buy, shoppers are more likely to become repeat customers.
Your dealers can also enable Buy It Locally, our system for BOPIS and ROPIS transactions. Locally has over 3,000 retail locations using Buy It Locally, which is a major asset this holiday season as a majority of shoppers plan to make BOPIS purchases.
If you’d like to make a plan to share Locally’s services with your dealer network, including our free Google integration, reach out to our team here.
**Google Data, US English, Dec 21, 2021 - Feb 18, 2022 vs Dec 21, 2020 - Feb 18, 2021
