Bazaarvoice: 2023 Holiday Shopping Season Has Begun

Even though summer is in its final days, many consumers have already started their holiday shopping, according to new data from Bazaarvoice.

In its latest survey of 1,000 consumers, the product review and user-generated content (UGC) solutions provider found that 11% of respondents had already holiday shopped in July, 14% had in August, while 19% will in September. More than a third (35%) said they would shop for the holidays in October, followed by 57% in November and 48% in December.

As far as what items are being prioritized as gifts this year, 70% said they’re gifting apparel, 51% said games and toys, 47% said electronics, 40% said food and beverages, 37% said health and beauty, and 36% said jewelry. Large chain retailers (82%) are where people plan to shop for the holidays the most, followed by small, local businesses (58%) and online-only retailers (55%).

"It seems like every year the holiday shopping season starts sooner, and this year it’s already well underway,” said Zarina Lam Stanford, Bazaarvoice’s chief marketing officer. “As purse strings continue to tighten, consumers are on the lookout for deals. To engage and to inspire shoppers to purchase, brands need to ensure that they are meeting their customers with holiday deals at all of the watering holes at which they can be found: social media, e-commerce, in-store, and more.”

When it comes to special holiday deals, ads (64%) are where consumers want to hear about Black Friday deals most, followed by social media (46%), marketing emails from brands (46%) and news articles and gift guides (42%). Nearly three quarters (74%) of shoppers agree that reviews impact their purchasing decisions on Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, while over half (59%) say the same about their purchasing decisions on social media. 

“With reviews being a top priority for shoppers, now is the time for brands to assess the recency, volume, and quality of their product reviews and social content including customer photos and videos to validate purchase decisions by authentic and trustworthy voices of their fellow peers," added Stanford.