Back to in-store shopping?

 

Black Friday has come and gone and it would appear that many people headed back to stores to mark the occasion.  According to Mastercard SpendingPulse which tracks all types of payments including cash and credit cards, retail sales surged by 29.8% through mid-afternoon. 

The Mall of America said that shoppers were up from last year, but a bit shy of 2019 numbers.  (Arbel & D'Innocenzio, 2021)

Considering many people were frightened enough by outages and shipping issues to shop early this year  (61% according to the National Retail Federation), those numbers are very impressive.

The question of course is why  - when many people consider shopping online to be faster, cheaper and easier.

Some shoppers were looking for hard to find items that they had been unable to buy online.  While another said: "I'm tired of not going out."  (Nassauer, 2021)

There must be other reasons, mostly emotional as we have learned. 

So, why do you think shoppers are going back to brick and mortar stores this holiday season?  Have you?  Why or why not?

 

Arbel, T. & D'Innocenzio, A. (2021, November 26)  Retail sales surged this Black Friday, though the day's impact is diluted.  npr.org.  Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2021/11/26/1059427267/retail-sales-surged-this-black-friday-though-the-days-impact-is-diluted

 

Nassauer, S. (2021, November 29) Black Friday Bought Shoppers Back to Stores.  wsj.com.  Retrieved November 30, 2021, from  https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-friday-brought-shoppers-back-to-stores-11638111602

How passionate are you about shopping in stores? It depends, are you a Millennial?

According to a new study from iModerate, 82% of Millennials say brick-and-mortar locations are important to them.  80% of Gen Z agree.  But only 69% of Gen Xers and 65% of Boomers do.

Not surprisingly, each group is seeking different things from their shopping experiences.  Gen Z is all about customization and experimentation, Millennials are all about efficiency, while Gen Xers want to escape.  And Baby Boomers?  We want comfort and space.  (Mahoney, 2016)

As a Boomer, that sounds about right to me.  What about you?  Do you think this research captures the way that you feel about in-store shopping?

Mahoney, S. (2016, March 30)  For Gens Y And Z, In-Store Experience Is Critical.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 1, 2016, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/272388/for-gens-y-and-z-in-store-experience-is-critical.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=91653