7 eCommerce Holiday Shopping Trends 2021

Last year was the first time retailers faced a pandemic fuelled global crisis and eCommerce boom and gave birth to certain eCommerce holiday trends that nobody had anticipated. And they can learn a lesson or two from the same while preparing for an influx of orders and finding ways to make the holiday shopping festive even when online.

Retailers are looking to generate excitement as customers flock to their eCommerce stores, the primary sales channel, with social media being a close contender. It is safe to say that retailers benefitted tremendously from the eCommerce boom in 2020, and the trend has paved the way for 2021 with permanent shopping behavioral changes of the mass. These changes have provided retailers with the confidence to embrace digital commerce and reap benefits in 2021 and beyond.

eCommerce Holiday Stats to Note

According to eMarketer, during the Holiday season of 2021, US retail sales will surge 9% to reach $1.147 trillion, while eCommerce will account for 18.4% of that reaching a whopping $211.66 billion. These numbers witness the aftereffects of COVID 19 and the following holiday season 2020. As we are moving towards an after phase of the pandemic, we can say that digital platforms have become a popular shopping destination for the majority. This paradigm shift led to most of the 2021 holiday shopping predictions and trends.

There will be a surge of 28% in the number of online shoppers this holiday season. This proves that the online sales in Holiday 2021 are bound to outpace the total eCommerce holiday sales 2020. Also, on the most important days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday, the total spendings in 2020 surpassed $10 Billion and $9 billion, respectively, and the trend is expected to continue in 2021 to $11.8 billion and $17 billion, respectively.

eCommerce holiday season 2021 will be about going all-in with big discounts, big crowds, and big revenues. Fantastic offers, free shipping, and easy checkouts are the things to look forward to.

eCommerce Holiday 2021 Trends

eCommerce retailers must put their best foot forward to make a memorable holiday shopping season this year and focus on customer experience to make long-lasting bonds with customers. are highly influenced by the changing consumer behavior and current scenario of the eCommerce landscape.

eCommerce Holiday Trend #1: The Holiday shopping season 2021 has commenced early
eCommerce Holiday Trend #2: Look forward to the most digital-first holiday shopping season
eCommerce Holiday Trend #3: Consumers will expect massive eCommerce Holiday shopping promotions
eCommerce Holiday Trend #4: Retailers must take mobile shopping seriously
eCommerce Holiday Trend #5: Simplifying the checkout process is the mantra for increased conversions
eCommerce Holiday Trend #6: eCommerce Holiday trends prioritize the businesses being omnichannel
eCommerce Holiday Trend #7: Supply chain disruptions will pose serious challenges for the retailers

With that being said, let us dig deep into each of these eCommerce holiday predictions for 2021.

The Holiday Shopping Season 2021 has Commenced Early

The holiday shopping season is seen to be creeping forward in 2021, which is all that shoppers look forward to right now. About 27% of the shoppers have started or planned to shop for the holidays early as September. And with the holiday season in full swing towards the end of the year, the competition will be fierce. Hence, as the customers have started early, so must the retailers. eCommerce retailers must make it a point to take an interest in the customer’s purchase journey to break the noise. And businesses must not forget to bring a tint of personalization during their eCommerce holiday planning while doing so.

Look Forward to the Most Digital-First Holiday Shopping Season

At the onset of the pandemic, many essential retailers saw that people were stocking up for themselves. But while doing so, many offline retail brands failed to serve their customers while the digital adopters boomed. Retailers later accelerated their digital plans, and many of them became live in a matter of weeks. These actions resulted in an enormous growth of the eCommerce industry globally, habituating the customers of online shopping, Now more and more shoppers expect a digital-first experience intertwined with physical shopping options. Hence, it only makes sense for retailers to go with the flow and provide demand to stay ahead of the curve.

Consumers will Expect Massive eCommerce Holiday Shopping Promotions

It is obvious to save money while shopping, let alone holiday shopping. This eCommerce holiday trend leads to customers expecting substantial promotional offers and discounts during their spree. This expectation stems from shoppers being greatly dependent on online shopping last year. Retailers need to provide a constant flow of promotional offers on their eCommerce store to incentivize shoppers. This will go a long way in improving customer loyalty and retention. According to a Black Friday 2020 survey, 44% of the shoppers looked for special deals on their purchases, including free shipping. Retailers can consider cashing in this situation by running limited-time offers, special discounts, or even gift vouchers during checkouts to enhance the customers’ enthusiasm.

Retailers Must Take Mobile Shopping Seriously

The use of smartphones for shopping is now greater than ever. The pandemic acted as a catalyst for smartphone commerce prompting the new age population to adopt mobile devices for online shopping. Predictions suggest that US shoppers will spend 900 million hours on shopping apps this holiday season, a whopping 20% growth YoY. Moving forward, retailers must be focused on making holiday mobile shopping as effortless as possible using mobile shopping apps, easy mobile checkouts, integration of social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and others, mobile-friendly holiday email marketing, and API-driven microservices.

Simplifying the Checkout Process is the Mantra for Increased Conversions

Complex and hard-to-navigate checkout processes often result in cart abandonment and customer churn. Customers want a simple payment process, including easy checkouts and multiple payment options. About 46% and 44% of the shoppers made card payments and used mobile wallets with Paypal, respectively, during the holiday shopping season 2020. These numbers speak for themselves to support incorporating a checkout process that uses multiple payment options. Retailers can also integrate guest checkout options and one-step checkout to reduce the hurdles in conversion.

eCommerce Holiday Trends Prioritize the Businesses Being Omnichannel

The majority of the consumers claimed to have considered online shopping since the onset of the pandemic, and many more plan on increasing the usage of other shopping options like BOPIS and curbside pickup. Omnichannel shopping is a used concept with a reasonable success rate as it allows the customers the flexibility to choose the purchase and shipping medium. It only is fair for the retailers to cater to the omnichannel demand of today’s shoppers to become better positioned to serve the shoppers regardless of the shopping channel.

Supply Chain Disruptions Will Pose Serious Challenges for the Retailers

As the pandemic continues to affect the lives of the people and their shopping behaviors, many consumers expect a considerable impact of the pandemic on holiday shopping as well. Some of these disruptions may be negligible, like wearing a mask, but this might also impact the supply chain, and the shopper’s favorite product might not make it to thethe stock on time. Mounting shipping delays in the eCommerce retail industry could have a pivotal impact on the eCommerce holiday season. Retailers must not be caught unprepared in these hostile waters.

Wrapping up the eCommerce Holiday Trends for 2021

It would make sense for the retailers to consider this article as a handy guide to what to expect during the eCommerce holiday season 2021. With these trends, businesses can acquire the trust of their customers and establish long-standing relationships. Although this is it, for now, check out more insight about the eCommerce Holiday season, like holiday email marketing and other aspects of the digital commerce world.

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Shivi Rao is a content marketer with Krish. She has worked in various industries spanning technology, science, rural marketing, startups & unicorns, eCommerce business, and digital marketing, believing that content is the foundation to facilitate the visibility of any organization and ensuring her words do the same. In her free time, you can either find her lifting weights in the gym or feeding the strays.

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