Shopping online is a popular way for Baltimoreans to find their holiday gifts.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a rising trend in online shopping. Shopping online is an easy and convenient alternative to packed stores. Some consumers prefer the excitement and experience of visiting a store in person, which is why brick-and-mortar stores still have huge crowds on Black Friday. But many consumers are finding that they prefer to sit down at their laptop with a cup of coffee and click through a few Cyber Monday deals instead. Here’s how online shopping destinations stack up. Observation Baltimore surveyed 1,200 Baltimore Area residents to find out how online shopping destinations stack up.
The Amazon Marketplace Dwarfs Competition
Where do you go to shop online? If you’re like sixty percent (60%) of Baltimore residents, then you probably answered “Amazon.com”. More people shop on Amazon for their holiday gifts than any other place online, by a wide margin! Only about two percent (2%) of Baltimore shoppers visit Etsy, six percent (6%) visit various other online stores such as Ebay and Groupon, and four percent (4%) of shoppers forego online shopping completely. The only online marketplaces that come close to rivaling Amazon’s popularity are the online counterparts for brick-and-mortar stores including, Target, Walmart, and Apple. But with only twenty-seven percent (27%) of shoppers going to these online destinations, they fail to reach half of the popularity of Amazon.
Online Shoppers Find Inspiration on Social Media Sites
Aside from word-of-mouth and personal creativity, most shoppers find inspiration for their gift giving on the DIY and shopping giant, Pinterest. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of shoppers get their gift ideas from the colorful, image-heavy site. Another popular way of stumbling on fun and thoughtful gift ideas is by clicking on Facebook ads. This is probably because Facebook has an advanced algorithm that serves the perfect ads to users that cater to their exact tastes. You’re very likely to be scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and come upon a tempting Facebook ad for that perfect product. In fact, thirty-seven percent (37%) of Baltimore residents, active on Facebook, have clicked on one of these ads and subscribed to a service and/or purchased a product. That’s thirty-two percent (32%) more than LinkedIn, thirty-one percent (31%) more than Twitter, twenty-three percent (23%) more than Pinterest, and twenty-one percent (21%) more than Instagram.
About Observation Baltimore:
At Observation Baltimore, we understand that the success of your research is directly tied to the quality of your participants. Recognized as one of the top Maryland market research facilities and rated “One of the World’s Best” by Impulse Survey, we believe that Experienced Recruiting Makes the Difference. Our experienced recruiting is the foundation of our mission, as well as courteous and proactive hospitality and client services. Just six minutes from BWI airport and AMTRAK, our Baltimore research facility has a great location. Most importantly, we understand market research!