Blue Fountain Media Holiday Shopping Survey Shows Consumers Wrestling with Changing Retail Landscape

A survey conducted by Blue Fountain Media, a Pactera Company, a leading digital marketing agency based in New York City, reveals that for the 2019 holiday season consumers are doing more shopping online than ever before – with 30% of respondents reporting that they will do ALL their holiday shopping that way – but many express concerns with both old and new challenges posed by the online market place.

“Consumers will face an evolving retail landscape when they go online to shop this season,” said Brian Byer, General Manager at Blue Fountain Media. “Familiar features like seamless checkout and helpful banner ads will be there, but so will unfamiliar virtual shopping aids as well as a growing number of states that are now collecting sales tax on all online retail purchases.”

According to the survey, which was released today, almost half (45%) of respondents report they will be taking advantage of technological enhancements specifically designed to improve the online shopping experience, such as voice assistants, virtual shopping tools like size simulators, and chatbots.  And 21% indicated they would use visual search-engine platforms, like Instagram and Pinterest to get gift ideas.

Online privacy remains a big concern, with 48% of consumers believing their personal information is being shared with more companies than they can imagine. Nearly 70% said if they knew for sure their personal information was being shared with five or more other companies, they would be very concerned and probably re-think doing business with that online retailer.

Consumers are also coming to grips with the fact online shopping has gotten more expensive, as a number of states now collect sales tax on online retail purchases, even from those from businesses located outside the buyer’s state.

Here are some of the survey’s chief findings:

Security Concerns:

• When asked, how many companies they think get use of personal information when they make a purchase online:

• Almost half (48%) say they think it’s probably more companies than they can imagine, with 10% believing it could even be thousands of companies. Almost 70% said if they knew for sure their personal information was being shared with five or more other companies, they would be very concerned and probably re-think doing business with that online retailer.

Sustainability:

• Consumers are trying to decrease their holiday shopping carbon footprint:
  • In fact, 85% of respondents said they would shop more sustainably this year.
  • 45% said that they would shop online and use a single shipment online retailer, like Amazon, to cut down on fossil fuel usage.
  • 14% admitted sustainability did not enter into their holiday plans.

Advertisements:

• Many consumers have warmed up to social media ads, but not the noisy ones.

• 60% will click on social media ads when holiday shopping.
• 40% report that they don’t respond to ads on social media.
• 40% of those polled find video ads with audio annoying.
• A quarter (25%) of respondents find that receiving ads about things they were just talking about intrusive.

Online Taxes:

• More than half of the consumers polled noticed that their states are now collecting sales tax on ALL online retail sales.
  • 35% say online shopping is less advantageous as a result.
  • Almost 20% say the move was inevitable. As brick and mortar stores disappear, taxing online had to come.
  • Almost 25% haven’t noticed the change.

Tech:

• Consumers are not embracing tech enhancements designed to improve the customer experience.

• More than half (55%) indicated they won’t be taking advantage of voice assistants, virtual shopping tools like size simulators, and chatbots for their holiday shopping this year.
• 21% did indicate they would use visual search-engine platforms, like Instagram and Pinterest.
• Only 12% are planning to shop via a voice assistant, like Siri, Google Home or Alexa.
• Less than 3% said they would make a buying decision based on a chatbot recommendation.

Blue Fountain Media has built a strong reputation for helping businesses develop strong user experiences and visually appealing websites in a space where brands face an uphill battle to get noticed and stay noticed. At the heart of Blue Fountain Media’s services is an agile and strategic team that can employ business data to build, deliver, and amplify engaging brand narratives.

To learn more about Blue Fountain Media’s services and leadership team, please visit: www.bluefountainmedia.com.

For a complete summary of survey results visit:

https://www.bluefountainmedia.com/blog/survey-how-consumers-will-tackle-holiday-shopping-2019

About Blue Fountain Media

Blue Fountain Media A Pactera EDGE Company, is a leading provider of Data-driven, Intelligent, Digital Experiences. Blue Fountain Media works with global enterprises to create high-performing, data-driven websites, and cross-platform integrated marketing campaigns. Blue Fountain Media’s clients include: Element Solutions International, Hillenbrand, CDK Global, Peterbilt Motors, Workfront, Cathay Bank, and more.