• by Ray Schultz , October 26, 2022

Email has taken a leap as the channel serving the most compelling offers.

Last year, 10% of consumers saw email in this light. This year, it’s 19%, according to Oracle Retail.

But email has fallen behind social media, which now is preferred by 21% of consumers.  Another 15% desire in-store promotions, according to Consumer Research 2022, a new study by Oracle. 

Whatever the channel, shoppers are looking for discounts in this inflationary year: For 47%, cost will be the main factor in moving from browser to buyer. 

Indeed, 77% of consumers already have started shopping get the products and prices they want. 

"Next to inventory availability, price is the leading factor in how and where consumers will shop this holiday season," says Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Retail. "For retailers still dealing with the constant loop of limited inventory supplies or surpluses, getting merchandise and pricing strategies right will be make or break when it comes to managing margins and customer expectations."

The study also found 71% of shoppers would consider a store financing or payment plan to pay for gifts over time. But 25% have never used such a plan. 

In addition, 77% will shop around for more deals and discounts, and 71% will wait for big sales moments and store holiday sales like Black Friday (47%) and after-holiday sales 30%). And 73% will shop at more discount stores, like TJMaxx and ROSS.

At the same time, 34% of shoppers are worried they won't have the money they would like to spend on holiday shopping due to rising commodity prices. What’s more, 36% worry that the gifts they want to buy will be more expensive this year.

All this will place stresses on the delivery system. 

Home delivery 56% is the most popular way to collect items bought online, followed by curbside (21%) and in-store pick up (16%). Fast delivery is the main consideration in deciding where to purchase for 47%.

Of those polled, 11% expect same-day delivery and 40% 1-2 day delivery. 

Oracle surveyed 8,107 consumers across 11 different countries in late September 2022, including 1,000 in the United States.