As in 2020, this holiday season is sure to look different than any other. People are eager to return to tradition as we knew it, yet there is awareness that the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way people discover and shop.
However, as shown in the most recent study by Deloitte Spanish Latin America, “Christmas Shopping: A Tradition that Resists the Pandemic in 2021”, the intention to buy and exchange gifts prevails, as confirmed by 6 out of 10 interviewees, noting that they would or had already made their Christmas shopping.
The group of participants who answered that they would not make purchases during this season (28%) indicated that the unfavorable economic conditions and / or the lack of employment were fundamental factors for their determination.
Despite this, in the second year of the pandemic, although the opinion of consumers regarding the economic situation of the family continues to show the impact of the contingency, their responses show some optimism compared to the previous year.
A third of those surveyed in Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica considered that the economic situation of the family is a little better than in the previous 12 months, while in 2020 only 12% expressed their opinion in the same sense.
Possibly derived from their consideration that the family’s economic situation is a little better than in 2020, 39% of those interviewed responded that they would spend the same as last year, while a close 36% confirmed that they would spend less than 12 months before, with concern for the economy being the most prevalent response behind this last decision.
Christmas, gifts and the traditional dinner?
A few years ago, in 2019 to be exact, Christmas dinner turned out to be the number one answer when it came to shopping priorities. However, as of 2020 buying Christmas gifts resumed the leadership among the priorities, recovering the first place in the list of purchase options of the participants.
Both conditions are reaffirmed in the 2021 survey and even exceed the previous year’s figures, with 33% of responses in favor of buying gifts and a distant 18% around Christmas dinner. The priorities have changed.
A reasoned shopping experience
Selecting the best option to buy is, without a doubt, a priority decision, trying to ensure a pleasant and effective shopping experience. Therefore, it is interesting to know that 93% of the participants did research on the internet before making their purchases in physical stores or online, mostly to compare prices.
With a wide variety of sites available to research, 40% of those interviewed chose e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Mercado Libre, eBay, department stores, and supermarkets to do so.
And Christmas online?
Despite the persistence of the pandemic, only a quarter of those surveyed confirmed their preference for online platforms. Their responses are divided into two groups: consumers from Mexico and Argentina report that the percentage of their online Christmas purchases is between 21 and 50%, while that of participants from Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica is less than 10%. However, both groups coincide in opting for department stores to make purchases for the season.
There will be no increases, say 50% of the participants, and refer that the level of purchases will remain the same as the previous year, and the main reason given by 30% for not buying a higher percentage online is the fear that the product not exactly what they asked for.
