IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Online shopping will continue to dominate this holiday season with an estimated 13 percent increase
The 2018 holiday shopping season is upon us and Parcel Pending, the nation's leading provider of innovative package management solutions, is predicting the top trends for retailers this gift-giving season!
2018 Holiday Shopping Season Trend Predictions for Retailers
- Tis’ the season of spending: The National Retail Federation expects 2018 retail sales to increase at a minimum of 4.5 percent over 2017. Additionally, PwC’s 2018 Holiday Outlook report notes that the majority of consumers (84 percent) will spend the same or more this holiday as they did last year. In fact, these consumers will spend an average of $1,250 each on gifts, travel, and entertainment, which is an increase of 5 percent over last year. Retailers can capitalize on this consumer eagerness to spend by providing a well-rounded omnichannel experience.
- Online and mobile will dominate spending. Global holiday e-Commerce revenue is expected to grow 13 percent in 2018 over the previous year, according to data from Salesforce. Additionally, Mobile devices will account for 68 percent of all traffic, Salesforce predicts. Mobile phones are expected to account for 46 percent of all orders, compared to 44 percent for desktop computers and 9 percent for tablets.
- Porch pirates on the rise. While online shopping may have added to the convenience of shopping, it has also added to the phenomenon known as porch pirating. A study from insuranceQuotes claims that 25.9 million Americans have had a holiday package stolen from their front porch or doorstep—up from 23.5 million porch pirate thefts reported in 2015.
- BOPIL to the rescue. The holiday shopping season from November 1-27 last year drove a total of $50 billion in online revenue, a 16.8 percent increase over 2016. This online shopping boom will continue in 2018. With that in mind, retailers need to leverage buy online, pick up in locker™ (BOPIL) solutions to help deliver a seamless customer experience. BOPIL enhances the customer experience by making it quick, easy and convenient for customers to retrieve their online orders. With BOPIL, consumers can be in-and-out out of the store with their goods in hand within just seconds compared to the outdated and time-consuming process of store associates having to find and release the online order. To that end, BOPIL helps to save valuable staff time, increase staff efficiencies and boost in-store customer engagement because retail staff have fewer distractions and remain more focused on in-store customer interaction.
- More gifts equal more returns. With consumers set to spend more this holiday season, retailers can expect more returns to process. Returns are a major pain point for retailers. However, BOPIL can help alleviate returns by allowing customers to see and try on items before finalizing their purchases.
- Shoppers demand a top-notch experience. PwC’s 2018 Holiday Outlook report states that 75 percent of consumers expect an integrated experience across digital and physical locations. That is why it is important for retailers to look to new avenues, such as BOPIL, to improve their customer experience.
“This holiday shopping season is going to be a game-changer,” stated Lori A. Torres, CEO of Parcel Pending. “We know that consumers are financially confident right now and this will translate into increased spending this holiday season. Additionally, I think we are going to see a significant boost in mobile shopping, which set a new record last year representing 33.1 percent of total retail revenue. With more consumers shopping online, retailers need to be poised and ready to deliver a phenomenal omnichannel experience and that is where our BOPIL solutions come into play.”
Parcel Pending is a leading provider of buy online, pick up in locker (BOPIL) solutions designed to simplify the BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup in Store) and BORIS (Return in Store) processes. The way it works is simple. Once an online retail order is fulfilled - be it groceries, clothing, electronics, cosmetics and more - the items are placed into one of the Parcel Pending lockers located at the retail store. Customers are then instantly notified by text or email and provided with a unique numerical code that they can type or scan at the locker kiosk. They can then quickly and easily pick up their order at their convenience by going to the retail store and simply entering their personal code into the locker.
To learn more about Parcel Pending, visit www.parcelpending.com.
About Parcel Pending
Parcel Pending is a leading provider of package management solutions to simplify and secure parcel deliveries. Parcel Pending combines 100% Always-On Customer Service, electronic lockers and mobile applications to improve the customer experience, while reducing operating costs. Parcel Pending markets to multi-family communities, commercial office buildings, retailers and universities throughout North America. More information is available by calling 855-316-4756 or at www.parcelpending.com.