Sensormatic Solutions by Johnson Controls Survey Shows U.S. Consumers Will Shop Earlier this Holiday Season

• More than half (52%) of consumers surveyed this year indicated they had already started shopping for gifts or planned to start before November
• Real-time notifications and consumer shopper behavior insights will help retailers keep up with demand this holiday season

Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls, today released its third annual U.S. Holiday Consumer Sentiment Survey, which found more shoppers are planning to shop in-store this year than during the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons. The survey showed 52% of consumers have already started or plan to start shopping for holiday gifts before November and that financial considerations and product availability will affect their decisions.

“These results echo what we saw in our predictions for the top busiest shopping days,” said Brian Field, global leader of retail consulting and analytics for Sensormatic Solutions. “We predict consumers will be more proactive during this year’s shopping season, and now’s the time for retailers to prepare. With this year’s holiday shopping schedule spreading out over several months, data-driven insights will be crucial to store success. Retailers who take steps to implement technology now are likely to find themselves at an advantage come November and December.”

U.S. Consumers Begin Holiday Shopping Earlier for Third Consecutive Year

Although some respondents (36%) are planning their early shopping around concerns for shipping delays, the main motivator for when they’ll start shopping ahead of the holidays is financial. Over half (57%) of respondents said finances will play a role in when they begin their holiday purchasing, up 14% from 2021, and 42% said the timing of promotions will affect their schedules as well.

The timing of holiday travel/family gatherings (30%) and work schedules (24%) were also cited as reasons shoppers are checking items off their holiday wish lists sooner.

Convenience is a Top Priority

While 51% of consumers are planning to shop in-store for at least some of their items this year, many consumers will continue to use alternative shopping and fulfillment methods. Thirty-five percent will use “buy online, pick up in-store” (BOPIS) options, and 30% intend to use curbside pickup.

The top reason for using alternate pickup methods like curbside and BOPIS was convenience, with 64% of respondents noting ease as a primary motivator. Those who are planning to get items delivered to their doors this year said it was because shipping to their home was more convenient (56%). Additionally, although health and safety ranked as a close second reason shoppers chose to use alternative fulfillment methods in 2021 (38%), only 33% shared that same concern this year.

“Though shoppers feel very comfortable making their holiday purchases in-store this year, there’s still a demand for overall convenience that make BOPIS and curbside pickup attractive options,” said Kim Melvin, global leader of marketing, Sensormatic Solutions. “A combination of traditional brick-and-mortar visits and alternative shopping methods are helping consumers complete their holiday wish lists as factors like price, product availability, and convenience are at the top of everyone’s minds.”

Sales and Promotions are Key Factors in Holiday Shopping Decisions

When determining whether they’ll shop in stores this season, price remained the largest factor for consumers: The majority (78%) of respondents cited price as one of the top three reasons they might choose to shop in-store this year. Other top responses included:

• Product availability (73%).
• Safe and comfortable stores (42%).
• Checkout speed (41%).

To learn more about the consumer’s holiday shopping sentiment and how Sensormatic Solutions is supporting retailers’ needs, visit U.S. Shoppers are Already Thinking About the Holidays. For more Sensormatic Solutions holiday insights use #SensormaticHolidays2022 to follow along on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Survey Methodology

Sensormatic Solutions collected responses from 1,000 U.S.-based consumers, 18-years and older, via a third-party provider to determine findings of its 2022 U.S. Holiday Consumer Sentiment Survey. The survey was conducted between August 16 - August 18, 2022.

About Johnson Controls

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

Building on a proud history of more than 135 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering. Today, with a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry. Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @JohnsonControls on social platforms.

About Sensormatic Solutions

Sensormatic Solutions is the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls powering operational excellence at scale and enabling smart and connected shopper engagement. Our intelligent digital operating platform – Sensormatic IQ – combines the full Sensormatic Solutions portfolio, including third-party data to deliver unmatched insights into shopper experience, inventory intelligence, loss prevention and operational effectiveness with advanced technologies, like AI and Machine Learning. This enables retailers to act on prescriptive and predictive data-driven outcomes to confidently move into the future. Please visit Sensormatic Solutions or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and our YouTube channel.

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