Online Shopping
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Holiday shoppers prefer online shopping, especially the millennials. The traffic is down in 2019 as shoppers opt to browse products online instead of going in-store.

According to FOX Business, a PwC report states that more than half of the polled claimed they would like to buy stuff online for the holidays. When compared to four years ago, the ones going in-store shopping outnumbered the ones doing online shopping.

The report revealed that the younger consumers prefer to use smartphones while the older ones favor using desktops when searching gifts to buy this holiday season. Also interesting to note is that more people plan to complete their shopping after the Black Friday week. This could be attributed to stores launching Black Friday offerings days ahead. 

A study conducted by Deloitte is somewhat similar in result. It found that shoppers are looking for purchases during Cyber Monday rather than use Black Friday discounts. The changing behavior might mean changes to how suppliers and retailers approach the Black Friday week next year. 

Per TechCrunch, with the way things are going, online shoppers in the U.S. will breach the $143 billion mark in terms of spending. This year, the holiday shopping season is shorter compared to last year, which is why customers are acting with a sense of urgency. The shoppers shelled out $50 billion from November 1 to November 26 which recorded a 15.8 percent increase in comparison to the same period in 2018.

It looks like Cyber Monday is going to be an important day for retailers moving forward. Around 77 percent of online merchants claim they had more than average sales on the Monday right after Thanksgiving, Forbes reports. 

Social media, and the millennials' preference to use smartphones when shopping, are boosting sales, but it comes at a cost to retailers. Some items have become impulse purchases and more often than not, they are later returned to retailers. 

Netpop Research expert Josh Crandall believes those who purchase on social media and later share them online become unpaid ambassadors of the products. "The constant feedback between brands and consumers accelerates the relationship that consumers look to embody with the brands they appreciate," he added. 

To those who are still looking for Cyber Monday deals, CNN lists down gadgets and products that are marked down. The AirPods Pro are still on sale at $234.99. KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer can be purchased at 39 percent off the original price and Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch are offered on special deals via GameStop. On the other hand, shoppers at Sephora can get themselves up to 50 percent discount on some items. Major online retailers like amazon.com have hundreds of products on sale everyday.

Services such as "buy online, pickup in-store" also had more people availing them this year. This resulted in boosted sales up to 27 percent more compared to last year. The message is clear: the younger shoppers do not want to fall in line and go in-store to compete with other shoppers. Taking this into consideration, it looks like holiday shopping will be a lot easier in the years to come.