Deck the Halls? In October? It is hard to believe that the 2021 holiday season is already right around the corner. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that we spent the holidays in 2020, but this year presents an opportunity to make up for last year’s not-so-normal holiday season.
The holidays can be a hectic time filled with shopping, decorating, and even some stress when it comes to making the season enjoyable for everyone. A key to making everything go smoothly is to start shopping early – especially this year with COVID-19 causing many supply chain and inventory issues.
According to CNBC, there could be less of the classic big holiday sales from retailers, even on Black Friday. In fact, retailers are rolling out their Black Friday deals beginning in October to avoid big crowds. This means that waiting until later to do holiday shopping will not necessarily get customers better deals and sales. Instead, getting holiday shopping done sooner rather than later could actually be beneficial in the long run.
Since time is of the essence and it can be quite inconvenient to go shopping in-person, online shopping and curbside pickup remain efficient ways to shop for the holidays early. Mobile shopping is a great way to shop while on the go. By ordering presents online, customers can save themselves the hassle of having to go from store to store just to find empty shelves. Curbside pickup is also a great way to lower the amount of time spent shopping, because customers can easily order items online and have them brought out to their cars, avoiding long lines.
Another important aspect of holiday shopping is the gifts themselves. According to Skift, the gift of traveling is expected to be one of the most popular gifts this holiday season, as people are eager to see the world again after over a year of shutdowns. Amazon is currently predicting Squishmallows, Baby Yoda, and LOL Surprise Dolls to be among the most popular toys for children this holiday season. Popular trends among teenagers could be Apple products like iPhones and Apple Watches, clothes from popular stores like Brandy Melville, or even products like the Reversible Octopus Plushie that have been made wildly popular by TikTok. Having these trends in mind can be very helpful this holiday season, as gifts could sell out quickly with people beginning their holiday shopping earlier.
So, start shopping now to ensure that this holiday season runs smoothly.