Shoppers are visiting brick-and-mortar stores and online stores alike.
It seems that every holiday season, there are a few gifts that rise to popularity. Last year, the hoverboard was the big sensation. What are Baltimore area residents buying this year? And how do they prefer to purchase their holiday gifts?
Inspiration for Gift Ideas
The first step to holiday shopping is deciding what to buy. As we’ve seen in recent years, more and more shoppers are making purchasing decisions online. If you own a business, you may want to consider investing in a few Facebook ads. Facebook dominates other social sites when it comes to the success of their advertising. While the majority of users on sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn tend to ignore advertisements, the opposite is true for Facebook. Sixty percent (60%) of users reported clicking on Facebook ads, and (37%) those reported making a purchase or subscription as a direct result of clicking on an advertisement. If you’re looking for an effective way to advertise online, Facebook may be the best option.
If you’re looking to drum up more sales through traditional media, you may want to turn to magazines. Many Baltimore residents reported receiving inspiration for their holiday gift ideas through a combination of magazines and good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth.
Shoppers are Hitting up Stores and Websites Alike
While we’re seeing increasing popularity in online marketplaces, that still doesn’t mean that there isn’t a crowd of people waiting outside of traditional brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday. Sixty one percent (61%) of Baltimore shoppers say that they will be shopping at both brick-and-mortar stores as well as online stores. When going out for a day of shopping, (57%) of shoppers prefer to shop at department stores. After coming home and turning on the computer, 61% of shoppers will go to Amazon.com to supplement their shopping.
This Year’s Popular Gift: Subscription Boxes
So, what is one of the most popular gift items for Baltimore residents doing their holiday shopping this year? Many shoppers report investing in subscription boxes as a unique and thoughtful gift item. Fifteen percent (15%) of Baltimore shoppers plan on purchasing subscription boxes, up (2%) from last year. Subscription boxes, which are carefully curated boxes of themed gifts that are delivered once a month for a year, have been increasing in popularity over the past few years. There are a few reasons for this spike in popularity.
First, subscription boxes are a great way for busy and overwhelmed shoppers to save time. Instead of taking the time to craft a basket of thoughtfully chosen gifts, a subscription box company chooses the contents for you. These gifts are often items that are chosen by experts or come from locations around the world. The value of the gift combined with the time and stress saved from the shopper makes subscription boxes a popular holiday gift.
Another reason for subscription box popularity is they continue to give long after the holiday season is over. Many subscription box services offer plans from as short as a single month to a whole year!
Perhaps the biggest reason that subscriptions boxes are chosen as holiday gifts is because they are an easy and thoughtful gift to send to long-distance friends and family. The box is mailed to the recipient’s address, so shoppers can let faraway friends know that they are in their thoughts on the holidays or year round!
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!