Data reveals Gen Z shoppers to head to the shops this holiday season
New data indicates that this holiday season, Generation Z is steering towards stores, defying the prevalent trend of online shopping.
A survey conducted by Aptos, a company specialising in unified commerce solutions, sheds light on the shopping preferences of 2,000 Gen Z consumers in the UK during the Golden Quarter, spanning from October to December.
Despite the surge in e-commerce popularity during festive seasons, a remarkable 88% of Gen Z respondents expressed their intent to engage in physical in-store shopping. The 2023 Golden Quarter Consumer Survey further discloses that 80% of these individuals plan to match or exceed their Christmas gift spending from the previous year.
Intriguingly, despite being considered digital natives, Gen Z is expanding their horizons by actively participating in in-store events and immersing themselves in the festive ambiance created by decorations, lights, and displays. Only 12% of those surveyed initiated their Christmas shopping before October, with a significant 72% intending to conduct their holiday shopping in the months of November and December.
The report delves into the expectations of this age group regarding in-store experiences and the seamless integration of omnichannel strategies. Notably, 68% of respondents plan to utilise click-and-collect services during the festive shopping period. Furthermore, they emphasise the importance of helpful sales assistants, swift checkouts, and hassle-free returns for a positive in-store experience.
Zaki Hassan, General Manager of EMEA and APAC at Aptos, advocates for retailers to bridge the gap between physical and online retail to cater to the preferences of the digital-native Generation Z. Hassan underscores the enduring allure of physical stores during the festive period, despite Gen Z growing up in a world dominated by digital technology. To meet the expectations of shoppers across various age groups, retailers are encouraged to reinvent their stores for a modern, channel-agnostic era.
According to Hassan, the ability to provide unified commerce experiences is key to delivering the kind of memorable interactions that Gen Z and other consumers crave during the Golden Quarter and beyond.
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