hibu Finds Vast Majority of Online Holiday Spend Remains with Major Retailers
The Woodlands, TEXAS – December 18, 2013 – US shoppers are procrastinating more this holiday season. Two weeks ahead of Christmas, about one in five American adults (19 percent) had yet to start shopping, according to a Harris Interactive online survey conducted on behalf ofhibu to view consumers’ holiday shopping habits and motivation. The survey, which was conducted from December 6 to December 10, 2013, polled more than two thousand US adults aged 18+.
Among those who shop for the holidays, 42 percent have done most of their shopping online from a computer or smartphone/tablet, but small businesses captured a mere thirteen percent of those early online shoppers’ dollars. The conclusion? With last-minute gifts still required, small business owners are leaving money on the table as they head into 2014.
“For small to medium retailers, there is huge potential to capture the online market share by making sure their sites are optimized for mobile devices and ready for online shoppers,” said Matt Anderson, Chief Digital Officer at hibu, a leading provider of digital marketing solutions and websites for businesses. “Local shops and boutiques capture a third of in-store sales, and smart small businesses will do everything they can to capture a similar proportion as shoppers continue to shift spend toward their various devices.”
Better Prices & Selection Drive Holiday Shopping
Among those who shop for gifts for the holidays, 50 percent spend their money based on cost (for example, better deals), with 24 percent citing selection (or variety of product) as their criteria for determining how to spend their money.
Mobile is Convenient & Always On
For the select few who shop for the holidays on their smartphones or tablets, its convenience captured a full third of them, while the biggest benefit for 26 percent of them was the ability to shop from anywhere.
“The writing is on the wall,” continued Anderson. “As consumer preferences shift toward online and mobile shopping, small retailers need to optimize for those channels or cede sales to their larger counterparts.”
# # #
Related links
Twitter: @hibuUS – https://twitter.com/hibuUS; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hibu; Google+: https://plus.google.com/115195563293334556732/about; hibu business store: hibu.com
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Hibu from December 6-10, 2013 among 2039 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About hibu
hibu helps communities thrive by facilitating millions of connections each year between consumers who want to find products and services locally and the merchants who provide them.
hibu helps merchants compete in the digital world with a broad range of marketing and commerce solutions delivered online and through hibu’s direct sales teams. Building on its heritage as a premier directories provider, hibu continues to offer a full range of print- and distribution-based marketing services. hibu operates in the UK, US, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru and US Hispanic markets. In the year ended 31 March 2013, hibu had one million SME customers. For further information about hibu, visit corporate.hibu.com