The Christmas and New Year season is a time when Hispanics, living in the United States and other parts of the world, make year-end shopping.
This is done to strengthen their bonds with loved ones and friends through gifts. In fact, many choose to start their holiday shopping during Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Black Friday, focused on physical sales, takes place the day after the fourth Thursday of November, following Thanksgiving.
On the other hand, Cyber Monday occurs the following Monday after the holiday and is dedicated to online shopping.
These celebrations, known for discounts in both physical and online stores, have significantly expanded due to globalization.
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Year-End Shopping in Online Stores
Black Friday started in the 1950s, and Cyber Monday began in 2005. Both celebrations kick off the most productive shopping season of the year, a time when everyone wants to buy.
While “face-to-face” stores offer the opportunity for direct expert advice, online sales are expected to continue representing a significant portion of total sales through platforms like Amazon, Alibaba, and specialized stores.
Physical stores will still be essential for personalized advice. This allows shoppers to touch, see, and try products before buying them.
Advantages of Year-End Shopping in Online Stores
Digital shopping offers complementary services like “click and collect,” where customers can shop online at any time and pick up in-store. This is particularly appealing to younger generations.
Many platforms are using artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize the online shopping experience. Through Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, users can “try” products like clothes, appliances, or furniture before purchasing, boosting consumer confidence.
In fact, mobile devices have been key in the growth of online shopping.
What to Expect from Year-End Shopping in 2024?
Most e-commerce shopping traffic will come from smartphones, prompting businesses to optimize their websites and apps for these platforms.
Digital payments, including e-wallets like cryptocurrencies, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, have become more secure and convenient for transactions.
Cybersecurity has also improved to protect online purchases, using technologies like biometric authentication.
Although physical stores remain relevant, many have adopted an omnichannel approach, integrating both physical and online experiences.
For example, some retailers allow online purchases and in-store pick-up, while others offer interactive digital experiences within physical stores.
Retailers are confident that the 2024 year-end shopping season will be the busiest yet. Why are they so sure? Because e-commerce has continued to grow steadily, especially after the pandemic.