Harnessing data from over one billion customers via the Salesforce Customer 360 platform, the Salesforce Holiday Shopper Report has uncovered the shopping trends of consumers over the holiday period.
According to the report, holiday shopping was completed earlier in 2021. Shoppers were eager to secure their gifts ahead of the retail rush to avoid issues with shipping delays and out-of-stock products, with 30 per cent of global holiday sales completed by November 22.
In addition, the report reveals consumers spent US$1.14 trillion online globally, compared to US$1.1 trillion in 2020. Physical stores proved to be key throughout the shopping season. In fact, 60 per cent of global digital sales were influenced by brick-and-mortar – from generating and fulfilling demand.
Shoppers demand always-on
“Today, consumers expect retailers to offer their products anytime, anywhere, and this is transforming the shopping experience,” said Lidiane Jones, EVP & GM, Salesforce Digital Experiences.
“With 25 per cent of shopping expected to happen beyond a retailer or brand’s website, app or physical store by next year, companies must quickly adapt and embrace emerging channels to provide their customers with more purchasing options and greater flexibility,” Jones said.
Jo Gaines, Area Vice President, Salesforce Digital360 says the pandemic has accelerated consumer adoption of digital channels.
“Today’s customers expect retailers to meet them wherever they want to shop whether it’s online, in the metaverse, or beyond,” said Gaines.
Salesforce reveals new innovations
To fuel the future of this always-on, shop from anywhere mentality, Salesforce has announced a series of new innovations and partnerships that will enable allow businesses to meet customers wherever they want to shop.
- PayPal at Checkout for Salesforce Payments – brands using Salesforce Payments now have even more options to reduce checkout friction and drive sales.
- B2B Wholesale App for Retail – the digital portal for wholesale apparel and fashion companies supports preseason ordering, in-season re-supply, and fully automated interactions across self-service and sales teams.
- Salesforce Social Commerce for China with Alibaba – supports e-commerce across China-specific channels, including social networks and CN websites, to provide retailers with the tools they need to evolve with China’s ever-growing commerce ecosystem.
- Digital intelligence solutions – seamlessly connect all a brand’s commerce and marketing data, providing insights and analytics to optimise relationships, ROI, and revenue.
“New innovations in Commerce Cloud and Marketing Cloud will transform the future of commerce by enabling retailers to create immersive virtual shopping experiences, build NFT marketplaces, and unify their data to deliver truly personalised experiences across every channel – helping to drive revenue and build long-term customer loyalty,” Gaines concluded.
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