Guess Who…Unwrapping the Global Holiday Gift Shopper

Did you know that 48% of shoppers around the globe have already started their 2018 gift shopping? We recently conducted research with over 6,000 consumers in eight markets across America, Europe, and APAC to get a deeper understanding of the latest shopper trends. Our report uncovers these learnings and provides actionable insights for successful peak campaigns in the run-up to the holiday season.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE

Looking Beyond Q4 Shopper Behaviours

It’s time to go beyond the consumer behaviours marketers have become accustomed to and dig deeper. With more consumers getting their holiday shopping done earlier in the year, it is imperative that marketers take a step back and assess who they are shopping for and where it is they are shopping from. The reality here often does not follow trends.

Sharing his insights on the findings of the report, Managing Director of Rakuten Marketing Europe, Anthony Capano, says: “Marketers must drop assumptions about when consumers will be looking to buy gifts as the reality doesn’t follow archetypes or publicised trends. It’s time to go beyond the traditional demographic understanding of your customers and find the unexpected. Not only this but think about who buys your products as gifts and how to best help them find what they’re looking for – help them discover the unexpected too.”

Don’t Forget the Key Dates Around the Globe

Marketers must also remember to focus on the key dates of the holiday season on a global scale, the importance of which vary greatly from market to market. For example, our research uncovered that 52% of Chinese respondents mainly gift shop on Amazon Prime. Looking into Europe, Black Friday is a key date for retailers. Customers in France (24%) and Germany (26%) have adopted this date when thinking ahead about holiday shopping.  APAC shoppers, specifically Singapore (29%) and Korea (24%), are likely to purchase during sales periods. The UK shows a similar trend, focusing their gift spending on key dates such as Boxing Day (21%). Meanwhile, the US saves their shopping for later in the year with two in five consumers having started their shopping in July, dissimilar to other regions.

On top of global shopper insights, this report also provides:

• An extensive list of peak shopping dates, separated out by region
• Practical tips for adjusting your marketing strategy in time for this peak season
• Behavioural findings on shopper types per region and how best to reach them
• Region-specific data on average gift budgets per shopper, and popular gifts
• A practical timeline to help implement effective cross-channel campaigns

Shopper behaviours are in a constant state of change and marketers must keep up. Download the ‘Guess Who…Unwrapping the Global Holiday Gift Shopper’ for the deeper understanding of these shifting trends that’s needed to create a more effective marketing strategy for this lucrative period.