The 2021 holiday retail season presents enormous opportunity for retailers, especially as they look to make up ground lost in the pandemic. Consumer mobility is at or near COVID-era highs, and OOH has a unique position to engage consumers when they are most likely to act – at or near points of purchase.  The latest consumer intent research from OAAA and OnDevice reveals the many opportunities for OOH to intercept consumers and help drive sales.

Among the 79 percent of US adults who plan to travel for the November/December holidays, the vast majority plan to use their personal vehicles for some or all of their travel:

• 78% will travel by car
• 42% will travel by plane
• 75% will travel at least 100 miles roundtrip
• 50% will travel at least 400 miles roundtrip
• 74% will travel a similar distance or further than last year

Almost all US adults plan to do holiday shopping (94%), close to half plan to spend more than last year, and almost sixty percent will start their shopping earlier this year:

• 58% will shop earlier than in past years
• 40% will spend more than last year
• 55% will spend over $500 and 25% will spend over $1,000
• 61% will spend at least 26% more than last year

The most traditional portion of the research results is consumers’ top merchandise choices for this holiday season:

• 48% will spend the most on clothing
• 39% will spend the most on technology products
• 29% will spend the most on toys
• 22% will spend the most on perfume, cologne, and cosmetics

Lastly, there are clearly defined retail destinations most likely to see the greatest increases in spending compared to last year:

• 46% plan to spend more at big box stores than last year:
• 37% plan to spend more at grocery stores than last year
• 37% plan to spend more at clothing stores than last year

You can download the entire study here, along with the supporting Infographics. The study also contains compelling proof points on OOH’s ability to engage consumers, and we’ll review those key statistics in next week’s OAAA Sales Tip.