Girls (and Guys) Just Wanna Have Fun: Survey Highlights Retail Experiences This Holiday Season

The holiday season (and hoped-for boost in shopping activities) is just around the corner. And this year, shoppers aren’t planning to stay home despite ongoing inflation and decreasing consumer confidence. Shoppers are looking for experiences this year, according to JLL’s just-released Holiday Shopping Survey Report 2023.

Enjoying the Holiday Sights and Sounds

In surveying more than 1,000 consumers, the JLL researchers found that holiday shoppers plan to spend $958 on average per person this year, though that figure varies by income level. Meanwhile, 22.8% of that spend will be dedicated to holiday entertainment like dining out, movies, live performances and vacation travel. More than 90% of shoppers queried indicated they were in it for the experience.

“I was particularly surprised by just how much consumers are leaning into experience this holiday season,” said Keisha Virtue, JLL’s Senior Analyst of Research. She told Connect CRE that the percentage is significant, especially versus numbers from the year before. “Dining out and going to the movies headed the list of planned activities,” she commented, adding that traveling, going to a concert, visiting children’s attractions or spending time at an “eatertainment” venue were likely activities.

Channel Surfing and Self-Gifting

The other interesting data point is that while most consumers plan to interact with the physical retailer in some way throughout the holidays, more than three-fourths of those surveyed (76.6%) said they plan to order online for home delivery. But consumers also won’t limit themselves to just one channel for shopping. Approximately 57% indicated they’d use two or more channels for shopping activities.

Consumers who enjoy the physical shopping experience are more likely to shop at malls this year. Almost half of Gen Z shoppers (ages 18-29) will shop in malls. The same holds for wealthy shoppers. Millennial shoppers, meanwhile, will target open-air centers for their shopping and are also slightly more likely to buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS) and to buy online, pick up curbside (BOPIC).

Virtue said that self-gifting is also a growing trend. “This year, more than three-quarters of the respondents told us they plan to buy something for themselves while they shop this holiday,” she said.

How Retailers Can Prepare

Virtue pointed out that the survey data indicated what consumers plan to buy and what stores they plan to visit. “At the top of the (buying) lists were apparel, electronics, toys, games and gift cards,” she said, noting that movie-themed toys will also be targeted. Super Mario Bros. will be significant, with 36.1% of respondents indicating they plan to purchase that movie-related gift.

Other information that could be helpful to retailers includes:

Store types. Virtue explained that mass merchandisers, dollar stores and clothing stores made the top five list of stores to be targeted by shoppers. “This is consistent with what we’re seeing already as far as expansion plans,” she added. “Discounters, mass merchandisers and clothing stores, along with restaurants, announced the highest number of planned store openings so far this year.”

Social media. Approximately one-third of shoppers plan to use Facebook or Instagram to inspire their holiday shopping. “This will make these platforms a good way to reach consumers,” Virtue said. “TikTok is also proving popular with younger shoppers.”