A new kind of shopper has emerged in the wake of last year’s unprecedented disruption – the hybrid shopper – and for brands setting their 2021 holiday strategies, now is the time to learn what makes them tick and why a personalized, omnichannel approach is essential to connecting with them.
84.51°, a retail data science, insights and media company that helps Kroger and its partners create customer-centric shopper journeys, has taken a deep dive into shifting consumer behavior and sentiment for a peek at the 2021 holiday outlook based on reliable first-party data.
Last year saw barriers to e-commerce fall as lockdowns and safety concerns spurred grocery shoppers to try pick-up and delivery service – many for the first time ever. Now, even as restrictions lift and people grow more comfortable shopping in-store again, the landscape has been fundamentally changed. In the “new” normal, shoppers who tried e-commerce out of necessity in 2020 will continue to use it, occasionally at least, for convenience – particularly during the busy holiday season.
A tale of two shoppers
Delving into the profile of digital shoppers, 84.51° identified several commonalities: They trend Gen X and younger, have higher incomes and have children. They are high-convenience shoppers and medium to high natural and organic shoppers. Beyond these common traits, however, two distinct household types emerge – each with its own motivations. Take a look:
The digital champ
- Over index as three-member households that emphasize high health and high quality;
- May see e-commerce as part of their healthy lifestyle;
- Made 14-plus shopping trips during 2020 holiday; half of those were e-commerce;
- Half were digital shoppers during 2019 holiday;
- Shopped 62 times throughout the year; more than one third of trips were e-commerce;
- 72 percent of their grocery holiday spend is e-commerce;
- Spent 3x more on holiday pickup or delivery than digital dabblers and 2.2x more than all households; and
- Account for 25 percent of digital households but 61 percent of spend.
The digital dabbler
- Very price sensitive;
- More likely than digital champs to have a household with five or more members;
- May be looking more for good deals for their larger households;
- Two to four online shopping trips with pickup or delivery and three or more trips in-store during 2020 holidays;
- Did not shop online during 2019 holiday;
- Made 16 shopping trips during 2020 holiday; one in five were e-commerce;
- 25 percent of grocery holiday spend is e-commerce;
- Made 3.5 digital shopping trips during non-holiday 2020; and
- Account for 14 percent of digital households but 10 percent of spend.
Learn more about today’s hybrid shoppers and their impact on the 2021 holiday outlook at the full report here.
As many as 94 percent of shoppers reported they intend to gather with the same number or more people this Thanksgiving than last year, and one in three will travel more this season. This is according to research by 84.51°.
