3 Things to Know: Thirty Percent Look to Cut Back On Holiday Shopping, Dog-Friendly Retailers Could Draw More Shoppers to Stores

CivicScience continually tracks current and anticipated consumer trends. Here are three key insights marketers should know this week. All insights are derived from the CivicScience Social | Political | Economic | Cultural (SPEC) Report, a weekly report available to clients covering the latest news and insights. Get in touch to learn more. 

1. Three in ten holiday shoppers plan to spend less this year and purchase fewer gifts.

Thirty percent of consumers plan to spend less on holiday shopping this year than they did last holiday season, while 24% will spend more. A similar number (31%) plan to purchase fewer gifts than last year, compared to 16% who plan to buy more. These two groups do not overlap perfectly, however. Nearly half of those who expect to spend more this holiday season do not expect to purchase more gifts, suggesting that they expect to spend more on the same number of (or fewer) gifts.

2. More than 1 in 5 consumers say they’re more likely to use buy now, pay later services for holiday shopping this year.

A recent forecast predicts that “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) spending will generate $17 billion in online holiday spending this year. According to new CivicScience polling data, 21% of consumers are more likely to use BNPL services for holiday shopping this year than they were last year, while 39% feel less likely. Those more likely skew toward lower-income households, with 28% (+7 percentage points) among respondents with an annual household income less than $25K, and 32% (+11 points ) among those with a household income between $25K and $50K.

3. Close to 30% of U.S. adults say they’re more likely to shop at dog-friendly retailers.

There are many factors that draw consumers to shop in-store – one noteworthy consideration that could generate more in-store interest that may be overlooked? Whether a retailer is pet-friendly. Some major retailers, like Nordstrom and Home Depot for example, do allow dogs in some of their locations. The concept of dog-friendly retailers appears to be popular among the general population: Twenty-eight percent of U.S. adults say they would be more likely to shop in-store if the retailer were dog-friendly, and 36% of dog owners say the same – both figures that outpace the percentage less likely to shop in-store.

Additional CivicScience data show that many consumers have taken their furry friend shopping with them recently. Among those who have a dog, over one-quarter have brought their dog(s) to a dog-friendly retailer in the last 90 days. In particular, Gen Z adults 18-24 and city-dwellers are each seven points more likely to report they have done this. 

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