The holiday shopping period has been blemished in some way over each of the last two years. In 2020, the pall of COVID-19 and reduction of holiday gatherings dampened the festive season. Last year, supply chain woes made it difficult for consumers to purchase what they wanted.
A new poll from YouGov reveals that this year, consumers in the US will be grappling with decades-high inflation ahead of the 2022 holiday shopping season.
Just as recently as August, people still proved sensitive to price hikes and the increases to cost of living—from groceries to gasoline to general retail — but to what extent will inflation impact the festive season this year?
First, let's have a spot of good news for retailers: the share of Americans who say they plan to do holiday shopping this year grew from 70% in the last two years to 91% in 2022.
This includes 36% of holiday shoppers who say inflation will have a major impact, another third (32%) who say it will have a moderate impact, and 16% who say it will have a minor one. Less than a fifth (16%) of all holiday shoppers say inflation will not impact their shopping at all.
How might this translate to their shopping behaviors? Three-quarters (77%) of inflation-impacted holiday shoppers will be buying fewer items this year and a similar share (77%) say they will only be buying items that are on sale and marked down.
What holiday shoppers want: Opportunities for brands and retailers
To help retailers understand what’s important to holiday shoppers this year—particularly those who say they’re impacted by inflation—we asked them about the shopping experiences that matter to them.
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Methodology
YouGov RealTime Omnibus provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online between September 8th and 9th , 2022 with a nationally representative sample of 1,164 US adults (aged 18+ years), using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Learn more about YouGov RealTime Omnibus.