The Shopper Speaks

Beyond the numbers, there is still much to learn about what transpired over the Cyber 5 and why during these critical shopping days before the final push.

U.S. consumers spent $35.27 billion during the Cyber 5 holiday a 4% increase compared with the same period in 2021, according to Adobe Analytics. Adobe bases its estimates on more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites in 18 categories. Despite the increases, I can’t help but feel a sense of unease and anxiety between the economy, the stock market and what may lie ahead.

Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights surveyed 1,095 online shoppers to understand their behaviors and experiences, what impacted them and the role of both the online channel and the physical store. We specifically dug into the role of the economy, including prices and promotions, as well as inventory and delivery issues we’re likely to see throughout the remainder of the season.

A few questions to ponder

• Will the 2022 season come down to prices?
• Will the anxiety and unease that shoppers feel about the high price of goods impact the remainder of the season and into 2023?
• Will supply chain turn out to be less significant for holiday shoppers?
• Are the tools that are inherent to online shopping such as price comparison reason enough to shop more in this channel?
• Does the physical store continue to retake business from online post-COVID?

We asked online shoppers to think about what has impacted their holiday season to date, and their message was clear. High prices and inflation — and their likely role on personal finances — have impacted holiday shopping among four in 10 online shoppers. Along the same lines, online promotions were a factor for 31% of those surveyed.

The other issues pale in comparison. Even supply chain concerns, which were anticipated to be an issue, were noted by only 21% of respondents. Other broader issues came in as follows: fear of the unknown (13%), global dynamics (10%) and midterm elections (8%). In open-ended answers, participants also noted COVID and health issues, a lack of lists from their gift recipients and personal circumstances.