Deloitte’s annual 2015 Year-end Holiday Survey report explores the shopping plans of South Africans for the 2015 holidays.
Consumer perceptions about South Africa’s economic outlook
- Three in five South African respondents have a negative view of the current economy, with only 7% taking a positive view. However, optimism seems to gain ground with the outlook for next year, where only two in five South African consumers having a negative view.
Christmas gifts in the stocking this year
- Still high on the gifts to have this season, and likely to be representative of the consumer perceptions about the economy, is cash, with 41% of respondents expecting it as a gift; an increase from last year’s 39%.
- The top 4 gifts holiday spenders will be buying for their loved ones are chocolates, books, gift vouchers and CDs.
Festive season purchasing behaviour and sentiment trends
- Consumers have higher expectations for their shopping experiences, with 79% of South African consumers expecting store assistants to be knowledgeable about products, while 64% expect them to provide information on price discounts.
- Despite indications of more conservative spending, 69% of consumers indicate a medium to high influence of loyalty programmes on their shopping behaviour, and 81% of consumers admit that promotions are likely to influence their spending for the holidays.
Where and how South Africans will do their holiday shopping this year
- Buying from physical stores remains a preferred shopping channel, regardless of the growing popularity of online shopping. About 70% of consumers still prefer physical stores for all of their purchases.
- Only 27% of consumers who shop in physical stores would switch to an online platform if a product is not available in a physical store. 67% of respondents would go to another physical store.