What do consumers want for Christmas this year? They just want retailers to figure out how to properly market to them, according to engagement tech firm RedPoint Global, which recently announced new research examining consumer opinions about the current state of holiday shopping.
According to the study, conducted by Dynata, receiving irrelevant offers from brands is a top frustration during the holidays—with nearly a third indicating it is their primary frustration.
Consumers want to be understood by brands, especially during a hectic shopping period like the holiday season. Specifically, 75 percent of consumers said that they wish retailers better understood their preferences—and used that insight to send personalized offers.
Personalization is proven to drive purchases
Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they are more likely to purchase from retailers who send them personalized content and offers.
“It’s clear that consumers have had enough of irrelevant communication from brands that fail to leverage personal preferences and engagement history,” said John Nash, chief marketing and strategy officer at RedPoint Global, in a news release. “Every buyer expects to be treated as a unique individual—and the holiday season is an ideal time for retailers to deliver on these preferences and win customers over. To achieve long-term loyalty though, retailers must build effective relationships with each unique customer across all touchpoints—not just during the holidays, but all year long.”
Brands have no time to waste and must deliver on the promise of frictionless, value-optimizing customer relationships or risk disloyalty. To keep customers happy, it’s critical that retailers leverage all relevant data to understand each individual’s motivations and preferences. This results in their ability to seamlessly execute on the contextually relevant, highly personalized engagements that modern customers demand.
Additional insights from the survey that retailers should make note of include:
Shoppers have higher expectations for brands when they are members/subscribers
Of consumers that are loyalty members, 74 percent expect brands to understand their needs and expectations better than other retailers where they are not a member.
Getting to know consumers pays off
Over a third of respondents remain loyal to their “go-to” brands for holiday shopping. This group of consumers said they exclusively purchase from retailers that they have shopped with in the past.
Many consumers start their holiday shopping early
Over a third of consumers surveyed said they made a holiday purchase on Amazon Prime Day in July 2019. To compete among other retailers, including Amazon, brands shouldn’t just try to have the lowest price point, but rather win customers over with consistently superior experiences.
Read more about the research here.
This survey was conducted via Dynata and targeted 1,000 general U.S.-based consumers over 18 years of age.
