Young Adults Plan to Holiday Shop In Stores

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Shoppers are planning a comeback in a big way this holiday season. The pandemic has fueled a big wave in e-commerce, but some shoppers still want to head into the store—particularly young adults.

Seventy percent of Gen Z consumers say they plan to do their holiday shopping in a brick-and-mortar store, according to the Accenture 15th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey. But they do expect digital components within their in-person shopping experience.

Older adults, meanwhile, may be getting too used to shopping online. More than half of baby boomers—54%—say they plan to do most of their holiday shopping online this season.

“The pandemic forced older generations to overcome their hesitancy to shop online, an ongoing trend identified by our findings,” Oliver Wright, head of Accenture’s CAN global consumer goods and services group, noted in the report. “On the flipside, younger consumers—who are already comfortable online—appear to be seeking out services and experiences that go beyond shopping. Retailers and consumer goods companies must tap into these behavioral shifts and push forward with their reinvention in order to engage a diverse, multi-generational marketplace of millions of individuals.”

Amazon is jumping into the department store space with plans to incorporate technology into its stores and shopping experiences, such as with high-tech dressing rooms and QR codes that will alert associates that customers want to try on an item of clothing.

Target stores have become major fulfillment hubs, offering pickup services for online orders. Nordstom Inc. is adapting its department-store business with local stores that have almost no inventory but offer services like its new Livestream Shopping. Livestream Shopping allows customers to shop products from its website and participate in a live chat with employees and experts in the beauty, fashion, and home categories.

Meanwhile, Kohls is looking to add familiar brands to get more people into its stores this holiday season, including partnerships with Sephora and Toys “R” Us.