November 22, 2023 • 7 mins
What can shoppers and retailers expect during the holiday shopping season? Carol Osborne is a senior instructor of marketing and promotion at the Muma College of Business, University of South Florida in Tampa.
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(00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. We're entering the Christmas season and of
course that includes the holiday shopping season. What a retailers expecting and what can
we expect as we shop with ourfeet and with our phones and laptops.
Carol Osbourne is a professor at theUSFMUMA College of Business School of Marketing and
Innovation. She's a Senior instructor ofMarketing and Promotion. Professor Osburne. Welcome
(00:22):
to Beyond the News. Hello Gordon, how first of all, how is
this shopping season shaping up for retailerscompared with what they've seen in recent years.
It's up a tiny bit, whicha tiny bit, you know,
with the American population is quite abit. So it's about Deloitte is saying
it's up about three percent from whatit was last year. And we know
(00:44):
about the trends of course, tourto online shopping and home delivery. How
are brick and mortar stores fitting intothe game right now? Brick and mortar
stores are actually up as far astraffic about the same with purchase. So
there's about eighty percent of shoppers saythey will go out to bricks and mortar.
(01:06):
They will go out to the plazasand the shops to look at the
merchandise, and then it's about splitabout forty six percent maybe or making their
purchases online. So they go outand see it, test drive the vacuum,
try you know, try the hatson, and then you know,
kick the tires and then maybe gohome and make the purchase online, you
(01:26):
know, because maybe they're also uh, you know, price shopping it.
So one feeds into the other.I don't know whether you have any numbers
or indicators on this, but doesthe brick and mortar store where they kick
the tires, so to speak,does does it often end up being the
place online where they make that purchaseif they go online. I don't exactly
(01:49):
have that, because you know,you get various reports from the you know,
the the third parties that will makeit a little bit more neutral,
and they say it usually is becausethey feel like they went in there.
But you know, we've also hadwe coined that term showrooming right where they'll
go and look at it at XYZstore, but then they go and buy
(02:09):
it somewhere else. So retailers havekind of gotten used to that. But
the majority will make the purchase fromthe same retailer. Now, of course
we know that Black Friday is traditionallyconsidered the marker of the Christmas shopping season,
but with online retailing and discounts andsuch being offered in advance, it's
(02:31):
no longer a marker of that oneday. And of course there is also
Cyber Monday. How is Cyber Mondayshaping up now? As far as being
that marker of online shopping, well, Cyber Monday is really has always been
an extension of Black Friday, hasn'tit. So if you kind of missed
(02:52):
the boat on it on Friday,or if it's not in store, so
oftentimes someone will camp out all nightto get a particular item, and by
the time the doors open, youknow, the small inventory maybe they had
is gone or already spoken for,so they're probably better off. And I
think they're often directed just go aheadand go online, while even while they're
(03:14):
standing in the store, go lookonline and you can have it dropped here
or dropped at your house. Butit's always been an extension. Now,
COVID changed things a couple of yearsago, and if stores were locked down
or they were asking people to maskup or what you know, or people
just being in a frenzy about beingaround other strangers, so that traffic fell
(03:37):
off, but it has come backaround. As far as retail shopping,
the only difference we're seeing is actuallyin restaurants is that the drive through traffic
is up and the delivery is up, and it's now I think it's Chick
fil A is offering the drone dropdrop your food by drone, and KFC's
(04:00):
getting into the delivery business because they'refinding that more and more people want to
eat alone, or they don't wantto eat at the pseudo clean table at
the restaurant, or they just don'twant to be around people, or they
don't want to stand online. They'drather be in their car and whisk off
and do something else. So that'sthe only change. But as far as
the other retail the shopping, it'sup and people are out more than they
(04:25):
have been since. You know,really the two holiday seasons we had during
COVID, what are some of thehottest gift categories for shoppers this year?
Well, always electronics and it's kindof a mixed bag. You know,
there's tech in there, and ofcourse you know Amazon always has a great
deal and so does Walmart. Again, if someone's looking for something particular,
(04:47):
you know, I see you thereon the nice microphone. There's a lot
of Logitech nice microphones for people withpodcasts or gaming to get a little deal
on, but you know, ithas to be something really particular. There's
also news coming out that the priceshave fallen a lot on TVs and printers.
(05:09):
So if you actually look at acircular on that or you look online,
the prices are going way down.There's an HP printer all in one
printer that's thirty dollars at Target rightnow, which to me is probably cheaper
than the two of us going tolunch at a regular restaurant. Now,
what is pushing that. There's alot of low cost providers names that maybe
(05:31):
we don't know. And whereas fifteenyears ago people wanted the Sony or the
you know or the Phillips brand TV, you know, Samsung, now it's
getting to it's a commodity. Ireally don't need a name brand TV.
A TV is a TV is aTV, and so they can find them
very affordably. And I hate tosay it because I'm a recycler, but
(05:56):
they're disposable, you know, youget one, Hey, the thing burns
out, you go get another one, because you can find a thirty two
inch for one hundred bucks. Orthey use it as a monitor. So
there's a lot of you know,very very affordable electronics out there that you
know, maybe for whatever reason,is a is a quote cheap gift for
(06:16):
someone. We're also seeing books booksare up, so kind of you know,
trying to figure out the motivation behindthat one. And apparently gen Z
has discovered these things that are madeof paper and are bound and you can
actually hold it and it's physical.So this is a whole new world that
has opened up. And I amsounding a little obnoxious, but you know,
(06:40):
it has become a thing. Andit's also a display item, you
know. So I guess two hundredyears ago when it looked like you know
your intelligence because you had books onthe table, well now it's the same
thing. If you have books inyour apartment on your coffee table, you
look smart. Well, Vinyl hasmade something of a company. I guess
anything is possible. Carol Osbourne aprofessor at the USFMOMA College of Business School
(07:06):
of Marketing and Innovation, A seniorinstructor of Marketing and promotion, talking with
us about the holiday shopping season andexpectations. Carol Osbourne, thank you very
much for joining us on Beyond theNews. Thank you Gordon
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. We're entering the Christmas season and of
course that includes the holiday shopping season. What a retailers expecting and what can
we expect as we shop with ourfeet and with our phones and laptops.
Carol Osbourne is a professor at theUSFMUMA College of Business School of Marketing and
Innovation. She's a Senior instructor ofMarketing and Promotion. Professor Osburne. Welcome
(00:22):
to Beyond the News. Hello Gordon, how first of all, how is
this shopping season shaping up for retailerscompared with what they've seen in recent years.
It's up a tiny bit, whicha tiny bit, you know,
with the American population is quite abit. So it's about Deloitte is saying
it's up about three percent from whatit was last year. And we know
(00:44):
about the trends of course, tourto online shopping and home delivery. How
are brick and mortar stores fitting intothe game right now? Brick and mortar
stores are actually up as far astraffic about the same with purchase. So
there's about eighty percent of shoppers saythey will go out to bricks and mortar.
(01:06):
They will go out to the plazasand the shops to look at the
merchandise, and then it's about splitabout forty six percent maybe or making their
purchases online. So they go outand see it, test drive the vacuum,
try you know, try the hatson, and then you know,
kick the tires and then maybe gohome and make the purchase online, you
(01:26):
know, because maybe they're also uh, you know, price shopping it.
So one feeds into the other.I don't know whether you have any numbers
or indicators on this, but doesthe brick and mortar store where they kick
the tires, so to speak,does does it often end up being the
place online where they make that purchaseif they go online. I don't exactly
(01:49):
have that, because you know,you get various reports from the you know,
the the third parties that will makeit a little bit more neutral,
and they say it usually is becausethey feel like they went in there.
But you know, we've also hadwe coined that term showrooming right where they'll
go and look at it at XYZstore, but then they go and buy
(02:09):
it somewhere else. So retailers havekind of gotten used to that. But
the majority will make the purchase fromthe same retailer. Now, of course
we know that Black Friday is traditionallyconsidered the marker of the Christmas shopping season,
but with online retailing and discounts andsuch being offered in advance, it's
(02:31):
no longer a marker of that oneday. And of course there is also
Cyber Monday. How is Cyber Mondayshaping up now? As far as being
that marker of online shopping, well, Cyber Monday is really has always been
an extension of Black Friday, hasn'tit. So if you kind of missed
(02:52):
the boat on it on Friday,or if it's not in store, so
oftentimes someone will camp out all nightto get a particular item, and by
the time the doors open, youknow, the small inventory maybe they had
is gone or already spoken for,so they're probably better off. And I
think they're often directed just go aheadand go online, while even while they're
(03:14):
standing in the store, go lookonline and you can have it dropped here
or dropped at your house. Butit's always been an extension. Now,
COVID changed things a couple of yearsago, and if stores were locked down
or they were asking people to maskup or what you know, or people
just being in a frenzy about beingaround other strangers, so that traffic fell
(03:37):
off, but it has come backaround. As far as retail shopping,
the only difference we're seeing is actuallyin restaurants is that the drive through traffic
is up and the delivery is up, and it's now I think it's Chick
fil A is offering the drone dropdrop your food by drone, and KFC's
(04:00):
getting into the delivery business because they'refinding that more and more people want to
eat alone, or they don't wantto eat at the pseudo clean table at
the restaurant, or they just don'twant to be around people, or they
don't want to stand online. They'drather be in their car and whisk off
and do something else. So that'sthe only change. But as far as
the other retail the shopping, it'sup and people are out more than they
(04:25):
have been since. You know,really the two holiday seasons we had during
COVID, what are some of thehottest gift categories for shoppers this year?
Well, always electronics and it's kindof a mixed bag. You know,
there's tech in there, and ofcourse you know Amazon always has a great
deal and so does Walmart. Again, if someone's looking for something particular,
(04:47):
you know, I see you thereon the nice microphone. There's a lot
of Logitech nice microphones for people withpodcasts or gaming to get a little deal
on, but you know, ithas to be something really particular. There's
also news coming out that the priceshave fallen a lot on TVs and printers.
(05:09):
So if you actually look at acircular on that or you look online,
the prices are going way down.There's an HP printer all in one
printer that's thirty dollars at Target rightnow, which to me is probably cheaper
than the two of us going tolunch at a regular restaurant. Now,
what is pushing that. There's alot of low cost providers names that maybe
(05:31):
we don't know. And whereas fifteenyears ago people wanted the Sony or the
you know or the Phillips brand TV, you know, Samsung, now it's
getting to it's a commodity. Ireally don't need a name brand TV.
A TV is a TV is aTV, and so they can find them
very affordably. And I hate tosay it because I'm a recycler, but
(05:56):
they're disposable, you know, youget one, Hey, the thing burns
out, you go get another one, because you can find a thirty two
inch for one hundred bucks. Orthey use it as a monitor. So
there's a lot of you know,very very affordable electronics out there that you
know, maybe for whatever reason,is a is a quote cheap gift for
(06:16):
someone. We're also seeing books booksare up, so kind of you know,
trying to figure out the motivation behindthat one. And apparently gen Z
has discovered these things that are madeof paper and are bound and you can
actually hold it and it's physical.So this is a whole new world that
has opened up. And I amsounding a little obnoxious, but you know,
(06:40):
it has become a thing. Andit's also a display item, you
know. So I guess two hundredyears ago when it looked like you know
your intelligence because you had books onthe table, well now it's the same
thing. If you have books inyour apartment on your coffee table, you
look smart. Well, Vinyl hasmade something of a company. I guess
anything is possible. Carol Osbourne aprofessor at the USFMOMA College of Business School
(07:06):
of Marketing and Innovation, A seniorinstructor of Marketing and promotion, talking with
us about the holiday shopping season andexpectations. Carol Osbourne, thank you very
much for joining us on Beyond theNews. Thank you Gordon
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