Impact of Gaming Content

Holiday trends surrounding the 2019 holiday season include 60% of shoppers fearing a hike of retail prices as a result of tariffs, 18% sales jump of online sales will drive omnichannel sales, and 36% of shoppers avoiding slow e-commerce websites during Black Friday.

CONSUMERS FEAR IMPACT OF TARIFFS

• The United States trade war with China began in 2018. The trade war has resulted in both countries applying tariffs and restrictions on their bilateral trade. 
• In the 2019 holiday season, US consumers fear that the trade war escalation will result in retailers increasing their prices during the holiday season.

Trend Statistics
 60% of shoppers expect retailers to increase prices in the 2019 holiday season as a result of tariffs.
 57% of shoppers expect tariffs will have a direct impact on items on their gift list.

Impact on consumers

• In the case of an increase in retailer prices, 70% of US consumers do not expect to increase their overall shopping budget but would rather buy fewer items. 
• To avoid lower sales during the 2019 holiday season, President Trump has pushed forward the schedule of applying tariffs that were to be levied on $122 billion Chinese imports from 1 September 2019 to 15 December 2019 to limit the impact of tariffs on retailers' prices and sales. 

ONLINE SALES DRIVE OMNICHANNEL SALES GROWTH

•  Online retail sales has enjoyed explosive growth over the last ten years. It has reduced demand for sales from brick and mortar retailers resulting in bankruptcies and retail store closures among traditional retailers.
• Traditional retailers are embracing omnichannel sales strategies that involves integrating online and physical store sales including in store pickups. 
• Trend statistics
• Total retail sales will grow by 4% to 5% during the 2019 holiday season. Online sales will have an 18% growth during the 2019 holiday season. Online sales will range from $144 billion to $149 billion during the 2019 holiday season.
•  80% of US consumers expect to buy some items of their 2019 holiday shopping online. 
• Online sales as a proportion of total retail sales from 11.6% in 2018 to 13.1% in 2019. Indicatively, over 86% of consumers still prefer to purchase products from physical stores. 
• Impact on consumers
• During the 2019 holiday season, consumers expect to receive online sales opportunities from traditional retailers. Brick and mortar retailers are embracing omnichannel sales strategies to reach out to consumers both in-store and online. 
• Consumers will receive better in-store experiences as traditional retailers seek to boost in-store sales. 

CONSUMERS AVOID SLOW SITES DURING BLACK FRIDAY

• Black Friday is the second largest retail day in the United States. 
• Black Friday shopping offers discounted prices on limited products. Shoppers are keen on getting the best deals early on and do not want to have a frustrating shopping experience. 

Trend statistics
In 2019, 36% of Black Friday shoppers will leave an e-commerce website if it is slow in favor of competitors.

Impact on consumers

• In 2019, consumers will face better user experience on e-commerce sites especially from traditional retailers who were late entrants in e-commerce. 
• Walmart faced slower e-commerce growth in the holiday season 2017 as a result of a slow website. In 2019, the retailer has enhanced its website for consumers to have a faster checkout. Additionally, consumers will benefit from improved user experience, expanded assortment, and more items on free two-day shipping.
•  Kohl, Macy, Target have improved their e-commerce offerings in 2019 to reduce website downtime, enhance transaction speed and customer experience.