See the latest holiday shopping stories from Insider Intelligence.
1. Fewer consumers than ever are spending on the holidays
The news: Nearly 12% of US consumers said they do not plan to spend on experiences, gifts, or other items this holiday season, according to a September study by Deloitte. That’s a record high since Deloitte began tracking this metric.
Higher-income households will spend about 15% more than they did last holiday season; meanwhile, households making less than $50,000 a year will spend about 22% less than they did in 2020.
Read the full story here.
2. Black Friday 2021 illustrates shifts in consumer behavior and changing retail strategies
The news: Black Friday traffic at brick-and mortar retailers dropped 28.3% vs. 2019, according to early data from Sensormatic Solutions. Traffic was up 47.5% from last year, when COVID-19 concerns reigned supreme and many stores shortened their hours of operation.
A shopping holiday in transition: Part of the drop in in-store traffic compared to 2019 is likely related to more of overall spending moving online.
- Consumers are also spreading their spending over a greater length of time. Part of that reflects supply chain issues and inflation—likely short-term challenges—and consumers becoming more savvy about bargain-hunting wherever those deals may be found.
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3. Klarna brings Pay Now to the US ahead of holiday shopping season
The news: The buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant added a Pay Now option to its US checkout experience so customers can pay in full wherever Klarna is accepted, per a press release.
Klarna will also introduce the Klarna Card—which lets users pay in installments in-store and online—to the US market “very soon.” The Klarna Card integrates into the Klarna app and is connected with its loyalty program, Vibe.
Read the full story here.