Holiday Gift Guide
The benefits of in person holiday shopping
The 2020, and into 2021, holiday season was unlike any other. The COVID-19 pandemic was still affecting daily life across the globe over the final months of 2020, prompting many families and individuals to alter holiday traditions they’d embraced for decades. That included how people shop. Many people avoided in person holiday shopping in 2020. However, the successful rollout of various COVID-19 vaccines has made in person shopping safe again. That’s good news for local businesses and great news for shoppers, who may have forgotten just how much they can benefit from shopping in person.
• In person shopping is convenient. Much is made of the convenience of online shopping. And it’s undeniable that the ability to shop at all hours of the day and night is convenient. However, in person shopping, especially when shopping for others, is much more convenient than shoppers may realize. When shopping in person, shoppers can get a feel for an item, size it up and even inspect its quality prior to purchasing it. That can save shoppers from that disappointing feeling of receiving an item in the mail only to realize it’s poorly made or oddly sized and therefore unlikely to fit its eventual recipient.
• In person shopping isn’t all about shipping. Shipping speed is a significant factor for online shoppers, and that may affect just which gift they give come the holiday season. According to a Dotcom report titled “How Fast Delivery and Quality Packaging Drives Customer Loyalty,” 87 percent of shoppers surveyed indicated shipping was a key factor when deciding whether to shop with an e-commerce brand again. That’s an important consideration, as shoppers may be more inclined to buy an item from a retailer simply because of their shipping speed capabilities and not because of the quality of the item and whether or not it’s what they want to give to their loved one. Shopping in person removes shipping from the equation, ensuring gift givers will give a gift they truly want to give and not just the one that will arrive on time.
• In person shopping allows for more accessible browsing. Within minutes of entering a store and walking around, shoppers may see a handful of gifts that will ultimately be great for various people on their lists, even if they had no idea what to get prior to entering. That ability to browse is more difficult when shopping online, especially when buying from online retailers with massive inventories of a range of products. Such sites often require visitors to pick a category to streamline their searches. That’s not always easy or enjoyable for shoppers who cherish the opportunity to uncover hidden gems or more unique gifts that aren’t available all over the internet.
• In person shopping supports our locally owned mom-and-pop businesses. What better ways to celebrate the diversity, uniqueness and creativity of independent, local businesses than by supporting them during the busiest shopping season of the year?
Let’s take a look! Plaid Friday was conceptualized in Oakland, Calif., several years ago in an effort to encourage holiday shoppers to slow down and shop locally at small businesses rather than partake in the frenzy of the traditional Black Friday rush at big box retailers. Similarly, Small Business Saturday® was founded by American Express in 2010 as a community-centric day to support local businesses. Small Business Saturday was the catalyst for the generalized Shop Small® movement, which encourages consumers to patronize small businesses.
Local businesses are at the heart of their communities. In a 2015 survey by the Urban and Land Institute, researchers found that more than half of respondents said they wanted a neighborhood where they wouldn’t need a car very often. More than 40 percent specifically noted the desirability of local shopping and entertaining as main features. A neighborhood with a Main Street or thriving local shopping hub can be a big draw. Consumers make these neighborhoods a reality.
Every time they grab a coffee from a local café, purchase a piece of artwork from a neighborhood artist or dine at a family-run restaurant, shoppers are supporting local business owners and strengthening their communities. Here are some ways to make shopping small a priority this holiday season.
• Take inventory of Plaid Friday and Small Business Saturday sales by keeping up on local social media. Build holiday shopping lists around the offerings at local businesses.
• Dine out at local restaurants or shop smaller food merchants.
• Visit a local tree farm. When decorating for the holidays, support the farm or local nursery that grows Christmas trees and makes their own wreaths and garlands.
• Keep your money in your community at a local bank or credit union rather than a large national bank. Local banks may have special promotions to boost savings for holiday gifting.
The holiday season is the perfect time to support small, local businesses.