Saturday / May 17. 2025
menu-logo menu-logo
brand-logo
Subscribe
Subscribe
Saturday / May 17. 2025
  • Read
    • Daily News
      • Financial
      • Insights
      • U.S.
      • International
    • Digital Issue
    • Executive Announcements
    • Cover Stories
    • Feature Articles
      • Exclusive Interviews
    • International Focus
    • Company Spotlights
    • Forward Thinking
    • Legal Briefs
    • Insights from the Outside
    • For You | For Your Field
    • Working Smart
  • Listen & Watch
    • Direct Approach Podcast
    • SHIFT podcast
    • The DSN Podcast
  • Attend
    • DSU Europe 2025
    • DSU Fall 2025
  • Achieve
    • Global 100 List
    • Bravo Awards
    • Best Places to Work
    • Legends
  • Research
    • Stock Watch
    • The DSN Guide
    • Supplier Directory
    • Stock Ticker
    • Resources
  • Engage
    • Supporter Program
    • VIP Text Alerts
  • About
    • About DSN
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Connect
  • Search
Subscribe
Girls Friendship Togetherness Online Shopping Concept

Consumer Preferences and Retail Challenges For 2020

BY DSNstaff | February 18, 2020 | read / Daily News

RetailMeNot released the 2020 Retailer Playbook, a comprehensive guide into consumer preferences and retail marketers’ strategies for the new decade.

Consumer confidence reached historic high levels in 2019, alongside rising expectations from shoppers. From shipping and rewards programs to politics and sustainability, here are the top expectations and retailer challenges for 2020:

  1. Politics will impact retailer strategies, but consumers don’t care as much as retailers expect.
  2. Consumers would rather get free shipping over expedited shipping, putting more pressure on retailers to offer competitive shipping deals.
  3. Shoppers prefer the lowest shipping cost over an eco-friendly shipping option.
  4. To avoid paying for shipping, most consumers would go in-store to purchase an item.
  5. Consumers expect retailers to provide expedited shipping options during the holiday season, resulting in less pressure to shop early
  6. White-glove concierge service is a “nice to have” — for now.
  7. Retailers are peeling back their investments in mobile and social advertising.
  8. Credit card rewards are undercutting retail loyalty programs.
  9. Few consumers have signed up for subscription services, despite early adoption by millennials.
  10. Amazon Prime Day may be the new Black Friday, with consumers saying they found better deals in July 2019 than on the historic shopping day in November.

“Our 2020 trends show the continued changing preferences of consumers and the power they still hold over retailers,” said Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at RetailMeNot. “For example, RetailMeNot found at the beginning of 2019 that retailers were bullish about voice-assisted shopping but as the year unfolded, only 16 percent of consumers reported ever buying a product via their smart home speakers. As a result, only 38 percent of retailers plan to implement a voice-assisted shopping strategy this year.”

Taking a Stand to Stand Out

In response to the election year, more retailers are taking a stand on political or social issues. In fact, an overwhelming majority (90%) of retailers are overlooking the old taboo of remaining politically agnostic and will make some changes to how they market this year. This includes:

  • Being more willing (48%) to take a public stand on social values in 2020
  • Being more conscious (56%) of any political connections that can be made to what they post on social channels
  • Designing marketing materials (44%) to tie the election into what they are selling
  • Having a sale (43%) related to Election Day
  • Looking back at 2016 shopping trends (44%) to inform their strategies accordingly.

Even so, only 40 percent of Americans say the election will impact the brands they shop.

Shipping Wars

While an election alone may not be enough to derail consumer spending, there’s another issue that might: shipping and the environment. Based on RetailMeNot research, just over half (51%) of Americans are willing to wait longer for eco-friendly shipping options from retailers like Amazon. But once cost becomes a factor, 70 percent prefer the lowest price over environmental impact.

Regardless, 81 percent of Americans expect retailers to offer more expedited shipping options during the holidays in 2020. Exacerbating the situation, 44 percent of consumers admit they will shop later in the holiday season in 2020 because they know they can receive items faster. Procrastinators will pose a major challenge for many brands as 63 percent of retailers struggle to keep up with shipping deals offered by their competitors.

Posted in Daily News and tagged 2020 Retailer Playbook, consumer preferences, RetailMeNot, Sara Skirboll.
Related Articles
BODi Reports Q1 Financial Results for 2025 May 16, 2025

BODi Reports Q1 Financial Results for 2025

Read more
4Life Becomes Founding Executive Member of UNPA May 15, 2025

4Life Becomes Founding Executive Member of UNPA

Read more
FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule Deferred May 14, 2025

FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule Deferred

Read more
brand-logo
The News You Need.
The Name You Trust.
Subscribe

Breaking global news, emerging trends and powerful stories conveniently curated to help direct selling executives stay informed, engaged and a step ahead.

  • Read
  • Listen & Watch
  • Attend
  • Achieve
  • Research
  • About
  • Connect
5717 Legacy Drive
Suite 250
Plano, Texas 75024
info@directsellingnews.com
Copyright 2025 Direct Selling News | All Rights Reserved
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT