CONSUMERS ARE STARTING EARLY!
The early bird catches the worm – or in this case, the early shopper!
During the most wonderful time of the year, people aren’t waiting until December to do their shopping. Long gone are the days when people would hold out for the Boxing Day sales. In fact, people don’t even want to wait until Black Friday (which in 2024 falls on 29th November) now!
By analysing the readership data of UK consumers, research shows Black Friday-related articles saw uplifts in sales (106%) and order value (96%) in the first two weeks of November,1 and readership around Christmas shopping picked up steam on the 5th November.2 This suggests that consumers start seriously planning and purchasing their Christmas gifts nearly two months before the big day.
And of the 29% of customers that start shopping before November even starts, 22% did so in order to avoid delivery delays, and 17% to avoid out-of-stock risks.3
So if keen consumers are doing their research and buying earlier and earlier, will you be ready in time?
COST IS STILL A CONCERN
But the main reason consumers are starting their seasonal shopping earlier is financial: 55% of those pre-November shoppers said spreading the cost was the main factor.4
This cost-conscious behaviour is also seen in summer. When it came to buying clothes in summer, total spending increased by 4% vs spring. But the number of transactions increased by 8% vs spring5 - meaning people were spending less per item to make their money go further.
This could be for a number of reasons – some shoppers may have been waiting for the summer sales before they bought. Or some didn’t mind buying cheaper, shorter-lasting clothes if they were only to be worn on a trip to sunny Spain!
This behaviour can likely be attributed to high levels of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, which have made getting value for money a top priority for UK consumers.6
Because of this, shoppers remain cautious on discretionary purchasing, and this uncertainty has caused a ‘spending hesitancy’:7 meaning less spontaneous splurging and more information gathering. Many are also setting budgets and keeping an eye out for promotions.8 In fact, around 36% of consumers say they’re buying more discounted items, while 33% say they’re spending more time looking for bargains.9
EXPLORING OPTIONS AND READING REVIEWS
As they gather information and hunt around for those bargains, more people are using search engines to ask questions like ‘where is best to,’ ‘ideas for’, ‘compare’ and ‘review’ during peak periods like Christmas.10 48% of consumers expressed intent to invest “significant” time into exploring their options before making a purchase.11
Researching by reading reviews is becoming more popular too. 76% of consumers always check reviews before committing to an online purchase12 and have started placing even more value in them as way of validating a potential buy.13 In the UK, review websites ranked as the most trusted source of honest opinions about a company or product.14
79% of consumers interact with brands by consuming content or sharing feedback, and they evaluate whether a brand is trustworthy during those exchanges. If trust is established, 67% of consumers would stay loyal.15 So the capacity to respond to reviews with authenticity is key!
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET READY FOR PEAK?
When business is booming, you’ll need a logistics partner who is ready to support with extra orders, deliveries and returns.
85% of UK shoppers surveyed said that online retailers failed to meet their expectations at least once in the past year, citing increased pricing, late deliveries and excessive shipping costs as their primary frustrations.16 But if your logistics infrastructure can cope with the increased traffic that peak season brings, you’ll reduce delivery delays and customer enquiries.
It’s good to ensure your digital storefront is also ready for an increase in traffic too. A website which can handle a spike in users will swerve any risks of exceeding its bandwidth and crashing. You’ll also need to make sure that your checkout process is robust on mobile, as slow loading could cause shoppers to abandon cart.
Staying on top of peak demands and upholding reliability is a quick way to build confidence and a reputation as a trustworthy brand.17
WHAT CAN PARCELFORCE DO FOR YOU?
When it comes to peak periods, nobody delivers more customer service than Parcelforce. In the unlikely event that any problems occur, we’ve got a dedicated support team on hand to address any queries quickly – helping you to maintain a positive relationship with your customers.
Our leading tracking dashboard makes managing your domestic and international deliveries a walk in the park… especially when there are lots of them! It will give you a view of all of your parcels in transit and is great for monitoring any priority parcels too.
Need to offer super speedy deliveries to any last-minute shoppers? From timed next day delivery by 9am, 10am or noon, you’ll stay competitive with options designed to best suit your recipients’ schedules.
Anticipating an order boom? Now’s the time to team up! Let’s make your peak periods easier with more choice, more traceability and more great service. To partner with us this peak, get in touch here.
References:
1. ‘Taboola data reveals 2023 consumer Christmas shopping trends so far’, Taboola / The Drum (2023)
2. ‘Taboola data reveals 2023 consumer Christmas shopping trends so far’, Taboola / The Drum (2023)
3. ‘How customers purchased during peak’, Amazon Shipping / Triangle, 2023
4. ‘How customers purchased during peak’, Amazon Shipping / Triangle, 2023
5. ‘Virgin Money Summer Spends’, Virgin Money UK (2023)
6. ‘Peak Season Report 2023’, Retail Economics (2023)
7. ‘PwC Consumer Sentiment Survey - Spring 2024’, PwC (2024)
8. ‘KPMG Consumer Pulse survey’, KPMG (2023)
9. ‘The U.K. shopper in 2023: Key consumer trends to consider this peak retail season’ , Think with Google (2023)
10. ‘Peak Season Spend Trends 2023’, eBay Ads UK (2023)
11. ‘Mintel Online Retailing Consumer Report 2023’, Mintel (2023). Research conducted with online shoppers.
12. ‘Mintel Online Retailing Consumer Report 2023’, Mintel (2023). Research conducted with online shoppers.
13. ‘4 Consumer insights about online reviews that are standing the test of time’, Trustpilot (2024)
14. ‘4 Consumer insights about online reviews that are standing the test of time’, Trustpilot (2024)
15. ‘2024 Online Retail Trends Report’, Celigo (2024)
16. ‘Mintel Online Retailing Consumer Report 2023’, Mintel (2023). Research conducted with online shoppers.
17. ‘Mintel Online Retailing Consumer Report 2023’, Mintel (2023). Research conducted with online shoppers.
Whatever time of year you expect a seasonal boom of orders, preparation is key - and you can never start too early! Here are some big seasonal trends to be aware of, ideas to help you get sales-ready, and how Parcelforce can support you.
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