Five retail destinations reign supreme this holiday season.
That’s at least according to a study by real estate and investment management firm JLL, which polled 1,000 Canadians to compile its retail shopping report, asking for unprompted to retailers they were planning to shop this holiday season.
It found the top draws among Canadian shoppers are Walmart (cited by 37% of respondents), Amazon (22%), Best Buy (11%), Hudson’s Bay (10%) and Costco (8%) were top draws among Canadian shoppers.
Only high net worth shoppers (those with incomes over $100,000 annually) prefer retailers that primarily sell online for holiday purchases; for every other segment, mass banners were preferred. Overall, bricks still trump clicks this year: two-thirds of respondents still plan on frequenting a physical bricks and mortar store this holiday shopping season, compared to 57% who will use an online retailer. More than one-third of shoppers will get ideas on gifts by browsing physical stores, compared to 21% who will only do so online.
The survey also found that Gen Z shoppers prioritize specific retailers, such as H&M for apparel and accessories and Best Buy for electronics. Older consumers, by contrast, prioritize one-stop stalwarts like Walmart, Hudson’s Bay and Amazon.
JLL also found differences in Black Friday preferences, budgets and where shoppers get gift ideas. Black Friday is often regarded as the day that launches the holiday shopping season, with 25% of respondents citing Black Friday as the top day to secure deals. However, pre-Black Friday shoppers are higher spenders than those who begin their holiday shopping journey after Black Friday ($500 vs. $416 in terms overall spend); 28% of shoppers intend to shop before Black Friday.
