This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Kent State chapter.

How will holiday shopping look in 2020?

There are a lot more factors that play a big role in the holidays this year, like store closures, stay-at-home orders and financial concerns. Considering these factors online shopping is likely to grow. Karl Haller, partner and retail industry expert at IBM Global Business Services says, “2020 will be a digital-first shopping holiday”.

Throughout this pandemic, there have been many product shortages. It started with food and sanitary products like toilet paper and soap. Then there was a shortage of pools because everyone started buying one since public pools were closed. When stores finally started to open up, they all bought plexiglass to separate their works from the customers. Now can you imagine this same rush during Christmas? There is a limited number of products available already, but if people are Christmas shopping now because they are bored during quarantine, there will be nothing left for late shoppers. Marshal Cohen, Chief Industry Advisor of Retail at The NPD Group said, “there will be an increase in demand for products and tangible gifts, as opposed to experiential gifts (like concert tickets, events, etc.) since people are unsure of what the year ahead holds”.

Where to shop?

The best way to shop during Covid 19 is online. It is much safer and a lot quicker. Most stores have some type of online website to shop off of. The store you pick to support is based on preference. You may shop where ever you please. But some popular clothing stores include Nordstrom, VictoriasSecret, Forever21, Nike, American eagle/Aerie, Hollister, Lululemon, FashionNova, Zara and many more. One all-time favorite store is Target. You can find anything from food to decor.

people walking past shops in a mall — Heidi Fin/Unsplash

Popular Online Shopping Sites

Gift Ideas for:

Women

A candle from BathandBodyworks
Cozy throw blankets
Fuzzy socks or slippers
Jewelry
Perfume from FragranceNet
Goodies like chocolate, candy canes, their favorite snack, etc.
Something you know they need
Something from the heart

Men

Wallet
Anything from Carhartt
Cologne
Spotify Premium
Car cleaning supplies from Grito’sGarage
Any type of food gift card
Something they need
Something from the heart

Gifts for Anyone

Coffee mugs
Gum
Tea/coffee
Soap or hand sanitizer
Cookies
Scarf
$10 gift card to Amazon

Gifts mean something different to everyone. You can make it super personal or comical. No matter what you give a person they will love and appreciate it.

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok from Pexels

How will shipping be affected?

Another thing to consider is shipping. Remember when your packages were delayed because shipping companies were so overwhelmed with deliveries? Well, Christmas is no exception, the same thing could or will happen. Below are deadlines for some of the largest shipping companies according to Easyship– if you want your packages to arrive by Christmas Day.

UPS

UPS Ground Shipping: Wednesday, December 16
UPS Next Day Air: Friday, December 18
UPS 2nd Day Air: Friday, December 18
UPS 3 Day Select: Saturday, December 19

FedEx

FedEx Ground/Home Delivery: Saturday, December 19
FedEx Express Saver: Monday, December 21
FedEx 2Day: Tuesday, December 22
FedEx Overnight: Wednesday, December 23

USPS

USPS Retail Ground: Friday, December 16
First-Class Mail: Monday, December 21
Priority Mail: Monday, December 21
USPS Priority Mail Express: Tuesday, December 22

Conclusion

Either way, you can shop early or choose to wait. The choice is yours. Just be aware that this year will be different and you have to adapt to the changes in the world. Happy shopping!

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