2020 Holiday Habits Report from Bluedot Reveals Majority of Holiday Shoppers Will Purchase Gifts on Mobile Apps, Surge in Curbside Pickups

Curbside becomes a requirement with consumers looking for retailers to deliver an effortless and automated service

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Oct 22, 2020, 09:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluedot, which provides location technology for mobile apps to power high-value interactions between brands and their customers, unveiled its 2020 Holiday Habits Report. The new research examines consumer habits and behavior during the fast-approaching holiday shopping season and is based on a survey conducted last month of 1,500 American consumers. The findings indicate mobile apps, curbside pickup, and buying online, picking up in-store (BOPIS) will all be critical initiatives for retailers desperate to retain market share during an extremely uncertain holiday shopping season.

The report found that for 80% of consumers, the ongoing pandemic will increase their use of curbside pickup for gift purchases. This still relatively new retail service has yet to meet customer expectations with 60% of consumers stating they want automated check-in on arrival and staff to bring their order to their car, but only 30% are currently receiving this level of service. BOPIS is also taking hold with consumers as two out of three respondents plan to use this service the same amount or more often this year.

Strikingly, the research further revealed 75% of consumers plan to use mobile apps for at least half of their holiday shopping this year. Key findings from the study also showed an increase in mobile app downloads for holiday shopping, with half of consumers indicating that they are likely to download two or more new apps this shopping season.

Equally notable, the vast majority of consumers (92%) are feeling varying levels of concern that stores are taking the appropriate health and safety precautions. Consumers also cited excessive wait times and long lines as top safety concerns for holiday shopping.

"The pandemic has forced retail brands to rethink the customer experience and quickly adapt to new customer demands around safety and convenience - whether consumers are shopping in-store or picking up at curbside," said Emil Davityan, Bluedot co-founder and CEO. "It also means getting curbside right, but there's a major disconnect between what consumers want and what brands are currently offering. Consumers want an effortless, fast, and automated carside experience with limited wait times. Even at peak hours, brands must ensure wait times are well under 10 minutes."

"It's becoming increasingly clear that consumers are more receptive to mobile as the majority plan to download and use mobile apps for their holiday shopping. There's a unique opportunity this year for retailers to acquire new customers. Due to the pandemic, consumers are more receptive to apps than ever before. There's a technology differential for companies who embrace this approach and a chance to get ahead of competitors while meeting consumer demand head-on," added Davityan.

Additional highlights

Mobile apps: Mobile app usage for holiday shopping surges

The top reasons consumers are using mobile apps for holiday shopping this year include ease of ordering off the app, using them for curbside and/or in-store pickup, and limiting contact with other shoppers.
9 out of 10 established mobile app users plan to do the same amount or more of their holiday shopping via mobile apps this year compared to last year.
Of mobile apps users, 29% plan to utilize mobile apps for curbside pickup and 25% plan to use them for in-store pickup.

Curbside: COVID concerns increase curbside pickups, but shoppers are reluctant to wait

80% of consumers plan to use curbside pickups this holiday season.
Nearly 4 out of 10 respondents making over $100K are planning to use curbside.
Two-thirds of consumers are only willing to wait 10 minutes or less for curbside pickup.

BOPIS: Excessive wait times are problematic

2 out of 3 consumers plan to utilize BOPIS the same amount or more often this year.
Nearly 60% of respondents ranked excessive wait time as the top reasons they dislike using BOPIS.
Consumers consider 4 or more people in line to be too long.
3 out of 4 want to be in and out of the store in under 10 minutes.

Safety: Safety is very top of mind

The vast majority of consumers (92%) are feeling varying levels of concern that stores are taking the appropriate health and safety precautions. The top three safety precautions consumers want for in-store shopping include no lines, staff wearing masks and gloves, and seeing staff wipe down equipment.
Minimal wait times ranked as the number one way consumers would feel safer at curbside pickup, followed by staff meeting them with a mask and gloves.

Generational and gender differences: It varies between generations, gender and income

58% of Millennials expect to do 75% of their holiday shopping via mobile apps this year compared to Gen X (49%), Baby Boomers (45%), and Gen Z (42%).
Gen Z is the only generation to rank staff wearing a mask and gloves as their top safety request for curbside, followed closely by minimal waiting. Other generations ranked minimal waiting as their top safety request.
When shopping in-store, men ranked no lines and decreased wait times as the top ways they would feel safer compared to women who stated staff wearing protective gear.
Higher income earners are impatient with nearly a quarter unwilling to wait more than 4 minutes.

To learn more, the 2020 Holiday Habits e-book can be found here.

About Bluedot
Bluedot's location technology for mobile apps powers meaningful interactions between brands and their customers across key industries including retail, quick service restaurants, and transportation. With pinpoint accuracy, Bluedot's easy-to-implement location technology can identify when a mobile app user arrives at a business, places mobile orders at drive-thrus, arrives at a curbside or pickup spot, or passes a toll location. Inherently compliant with GDPR and CCPA, Bluedot focuses on protecting end-user privacy and never shares or sells personal information.

Top global brands trust Bluedot for their location-based needs. For more information on Bluedot and its solutions, visit bluedot.io.

Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted via SurveyMonkey in September 2020 among a national sample of 1,501 American adults aged 18 and older. In addition to looking at the overall sentiment, the survey was categorized by established mobile app users who used apps in the last six months (1,376), and by generations: Baby Boomers (27%), Gen X (35%), Millennials (24%), and Gen Z (14%).

Income was broken down by lower income level (those making below $50k), middle income level (those making between $50k - $100k), and upper income level (those making above $100k).

SOURCE Bluedot