13 Holiday Shopping Trends for 2024 (With Stats!)

When you think of holiday shopping, you might be expecting a consistent build throughout the year, with utter chaos from Black Friday until the New Year. However, things have changed in the past few years, and holiday shopping trends look a lot different now!

Keeping up with holiday shopping trends can save you stress and time on preparing for the end of the year. Below are the top nine 2024 holiday shopping trends to watch:

Read on for holiday shopping statistics and trends for 2024! Or, if you want to learn even more about optimizing your ecommerce business, call 888-601-5359 to chat with a strategist!

Keep Reading: 13 Clever Holiday Marketing Strategies

1. Consumers actively look for deals and promotions

The first holiday trend to note is that people are actively looking for deals when they shop for the holidays. That means that if you are offering a lower price than your competitors, you give yourself a huge advantage.

If you aren’t sure where to start, you can use search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) content to get your site on the SERPs:

Customers have more purchasing power now, so they can afford to shop around and find the best deal. Don’t hesitate to sweeten the deal and promote your sales as before they happen to attract people to your site.

2. Inflation is adding stress to shopping

With inflation and the increased prices of goods over the past year, consumers are worried about what they will spend over the holiday season.

So, what does that mean for businesses?

It means that marketing your products and promotions is more important than ever. If you are offering deals, you want your customers to know about them, so they can experience some stress-free shopping with your business.

3. Many people start purchasing before November

All the holiday shopping stats and trends point to the fact that people aren’t waiting to buy anymore. We’ve all felt the holiday rush and pressure to get everything done in December, but sometimes it’s better to get started early.

That’s why many people start planning their shopping as early as the end of summer into early fall. With Prime Day happening in October and Cyber Monday in November, Black Friday doesn’t hold quite as much weight as it used to. Buyers can get ahead and stagger purchases while getting a good deal.

However, while some people like to get started early, there is still a last-minute push in December. So, you can plan for those last-minute deals to help the procrastinating shoppers.

4. Retailer sites and apps are the most important channels

We know ecommerce is not slowing down — millions of people shop online for the holidays (and throughout the rest of the year). If your site or app isn’t up to par, you could miss out on sales.

Building an efficient ecommerce site is more than just a few product pages and descriptions. Your site should include:

• Promotions and deals
• Helpful navigation
• A clear return and exchange policy
• FAQs and customer service
• Secure checkout
• Images and videos

Consumers look at all these features before making a purchase, and they will choose another site if yours doesn’t feel like a good fit.

5. Fast delivery is a must

Consumers don’t want to wait for their orders. When the convenience of shopping online extends to shipping, you must consider it as part of your strategy. Even sites like Amazon highlight their fast shipping options to make it easier on the buyer:

If they’re in a pinch, the consumer just has to ask, “Which will get here the fastest?”

Moving forward, if you can find ways to improve your shipping times and prices, that’s always a plus. If not, a solid return and exchange policy can also encourage purchases by making buyers feel more secure in their order.

6. “Buy now, pay later” is a crucial payment method

“Buy now, pay later” is a credit-style payment option where you can make a purchase immediately and then pay it off over time. Klarna and Afterpay are two popular companies who offer this service:

Since so many people use “buy now, pay later” as a payment option (and spend more when they do), it’s worth adding it to encourage purchases. One option is to set a minimum price to encourage upselling, which is what many companies offer.

7. Most people use Amazon for holiday shopping

Amazon reigns supreme as the ecommerce giant. That means that if you aren’t selling on Amazon, you’re likely missing out on a huge potential customer pool.

Creating an Amazon storefront is an easy way to boost your sales and open a new channel for purchases. You could even link to your Amazon shop on your website if you don’t have an ecommerce setup.

If you want to start selling on Amazon to get your footing before the holidays, WebFX offers SEO services for Amazon and more to help you target the algorithm and get your products in front of buyers.

Learn About WebFX for Amazon

8. Gen Zers are most likely to shop in-store

While it may be surprising, Gen Z is the most likely generation to make a purchase in stores, not their elders. According to this study, the main reason they like to shop in store is that they can get products immediately, as opposed to waiting for an online order.

However, other studies point to a trend toward more online shopping, so these figures may change over the coming years. But as it stands, if you want to reach Gen Z, physical stores are not out of the question.

9. Price is the biggest factor impacting purchases

Finally, the last holiday shopping trend is the importance of prices. Overall, consumers are more concerned about price opposed to any other factor. With a turbulent few years of inflation and economic changes, more and more people are being conscious about what they buy and when.

So, how can you prepare for this trend? You should be:

• Making it clear how your product will benefit the user
• Offer discounts when possible
• Provide great customer service
• Share reviews of your product that show its features and benefits
• Make sure you offer competitive pricing for your industry

All of these tactics will help you sell your audience, even if you don’t have a low price point.

10. Consumers trust their favorite influencers

Influencer marketing is a great way to show off your products through the lens of someone your audience trusts. And, if you don’t have the resources to work with a big-name influencer, that’s okay!

People build relationships with the micro-influencers they watch and interact with every day. Finding an influencer in your niche can help you reach the people you want while building that trust with their audience.

11. Buyers are pushing for sustainability

More and more people are looking for sustainable options when shopping, and that especially matters for the holidays. There needs to be a focus on eco-friendly alternatives to packaging and wrapping, as well as the products you offer.

Take time to think about what sustainable features your company ha. Then, be sure to share those with shoppers as part of your marketing campaign for the holidays.

12. AR is becoming more present

AR is a helpful tool for showing consumers your products online. With AR, they can try on clothing, look at glasses, or see furniture in their home.

There are tons of ways to incorporate AR for holiday shoppers. Updating your product listings and website to include AR is a great first step. Or, if you want to try social marketing, you can create an AR filter on Snapchat.

13. People prefer loyalty programs

Loyalty programs have been around for a while, but their impact has never been more crucial. Consumers want to feel appreciated, and they also want to work with companies they trust.

To stand out from competitors, you need a reason to get consumers to shop with you repeatedly. A loyalty program does just that.

The holiday season is a great time to honor your loyalty members and encourage new subscribers, so be sure to consider it as you look into marketing for the holidays.

Want to target holiday shopping trends? Look no further than WebFX!

If you want to incorporate all these holiday shopping trends into your strategy, we can help. WebFX has worked with 2,000+ clients across 200+ industries, meaning we can handle whatever you want to accomplish.

Whether you want to launch a holiday-specific ad campaign or improve your marketing year-round, our ecommerce services will make all the difference in your results. We’ve driven 24,859,684 leads and $10,085,355,239+ in revenue so far, and those numbers keep growing.

Let us do the same for you. Contact us online to get started!