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The Trojan Marketplace hosted by Spark SC on Nov. 15, 2022. (Photo by Louis Chen)
Santa’s workshop might need to move online as holiday online shopping becomes the norm.
As more and more people are shopping online this holiday season, in-person stores are losing business, and local business owners are ho-ho-hoping for more holiday shoppers.
After two of the biggest sales days of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it is clear online shopping and holiday gifting isn’t slowing down. In a survey conducted by NerdWallet, more than two-thirds of reported Americans partook in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, with 84% of consumers purchasing gifts for the holiday season.
For Sachi Lee, owner of the online boutique Au Courant, the holidays are a crucial time that business increases. Her boutique, which sells different jewelry and chains, has pop-up stands at the Trojan Farmers Market on Wednesdays.
During Black Friday festivities, Lee mentioned how the sales mean a lot to her small business. “People really do seek out deals during that time,” she said.
Lee said she sees a mix of business online and in-person as well and aims to sell more products during the holiday season.
However, online-dominated stores are taking over sales this year, with Adobe estimating a 2.5% growth in online shopping from November 1 to December 31 and a 5.1% increase in Cyber Monday shopping.
Amazon even hosted a second Prime Day event this year to accommodate the massive amount of consumers during the holiday season.
This can also be seen when it comes to millennial consumers, 29% of whom do their shopping from their smartphones, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. For all other age groups, that number is 22%.
Michelle Pham, a graduate student studying global supply chain management, claims online shopping is increasing in popularity due to convenience and avoiding crowds, especially during the holidays.
“It’s just easier to browse to see the selection,” Pham said. “It’s kind of hard sometimes, in person, [it’s] a little overwhelming.”
Though, Pham explained she does not usually partake in Black Friday shopping, noting some stores disguise price inflations as can’t-miss Black Friday deals.
But the preference for online shopping may present difficulties for out-of-state and traveling students, who would have to fit their holiday gifts in their luggage.
Jamie Wilhelm, a sophomore studying psychology, speculates the increase of online shopping might be an after-effect of COVID-19 since many shoppers became accustomed to contactless shopping.
“Because of COVID, a lot of people online shopped more and probably got in the habit,” Wilhelm said.
Online shopping during the holidays is significant for small business owners who rely solely on their business’s profits as income. According to a survey conducted by Bankrate, 59% of holiday shoppers plan on purchasing from a small business this winter season.
Wilhelm said she enjoys the Cyber Monday festivities because “the sales are fire,” mainly the holiday deals this year.
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