For the first time ever, online retailers will be consumers’ number one shopping destination this season, according to a new survey by Deloitte.
The survey found that 47 percent of shoppers plan to shop online, topping the traditional leading holiday shopping destination, “discount/value department stores,” at 44 percent. Traditional department stores ranked number three, at 28 percent, followed by electronics/office supply/computer stores at 21 percent.
This is the “first time in 15 years” the Internet moved into the top spot, Deloitte said.
More than three-quarters of those surveys cited convenience as a reason for shopping online, followed by price (63 percent).
What’s more, among shoppers planning to shop e-tail, 38 percent said they plan to spend majority of their budget online.
The survey did find that some 18 percent of consumers expect to buy jewelry this Christmas, landing it in the 10th spot as far as gift items. (Gift cards were number one, cited by 43 percent.)
Other highlights of the survey, which can be seen here:
– A “knowledgeable sales associate” was the number one reason shoppers would buy from a physical store, cited by 54 percent. Yet some 59 percent of those surveyed feel that that, with the all the information available online, they are better informed than most sales associates.
– Consumers are feeling better about the economy—somewhat. Just 32 percent of consumers believe “we are still in a recession,” with 10 percent thinking “we are heading back into a recession.” A majority—54 percent—called the economy “weak” but “recovering from a recession,” up from 32 percent two years ago. A mere 4 percent rated the economy “healthy.”
– Perhaps because of this, 73 percent of shoppers will be influenced by coupons and promotional offers.
– Nearly 4 in 10 will do their shopping in December. Some 3 in 10 did it before Thanksgiving.
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