The busiest time of the year is here for brands and retailers — holiday season preparation.
In its new report, The 2021 Holiday Planning Guide, Forrester shares consumer research from last year’s holiday season when we were in the midst of the pandemic and discusses how to apply those learnings when planning for this season, as global uncertainties continue.
Forrester predicts the 2021 holiday season will be similar to 2020 in several ways. A couple of top points from their outlook include the following:
Consumers will start shopping months in advance. It’s important to prepare early, as the report indicates one in three US online consumers began their 2020 holiday shopping in October or earlier. Online shoppers also ordered earlier to account for late deliveries. Read our recent blog post about the current global shipping crisis and how to prepare.
Smartphones have become the preferred shopping device. Consumers are increasingly more comfortable using their smartphones to conduct research and make purchases. In 2020, mobile retail in the US for the year overall grew 36% compared with 2019. It’s essential to make sure your smartphone shopping experience is flawless.
Forrester shared several more insights that will apply to this holiday season. Download your free copy to see additional data from 2020 and take action to make your marketing, service, fulfillment and security agile this holiday season by:
- Planning for marketing authenticity and adaptability
- Helping busy, stressed customers with value-add info — at the right time
- Developing fulfillment operations to build customer delivery confidence
- Increasing customer trust by proactively preparing for security scenarios
Ready to dive into this year’s preparations? Download the report now>>
