Google reports that U.S. searches for “holiday gift ideas” were higher in August of this year than at any other point in 2020, according to a blog post on Monday (Aug. 31).
Other data from a Google survey taken in June shows that 58% of U.S. shoppers are planning to “shop online more this season than in previous years” and 59% are planning to place their orders earlier so that they can grab merchandise before it sells out, according to the blog.
See also: Google Aims to Help People Understand, Benefit From Search
People are also “leaning into the blended online and in-store shopping experience,” wrote Google Vice President, GM, Merchant Shopping Matthew Madrigal.
By the middle of August, 70% of shoppers were heading back to stores to get what they needed compared to 61% in June. While people are going to stores, they’re taking advantage of the “blended” experience with curbside pickup or buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS), according to a Google survey taken in August cited in the post.
Read more: Report: Google Could Pay Apple $15B to Power Search on Safari
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One option that most people surveyed are looking for when they shop online is free shipping. A total of 78% of U.S. shoppers said they would prefer to buy from stores that ship items for free, according to the June survey cited in the blog post. To that end, Google has announced that it will offer shipping and return annotations in Google Search and Shopping results across paid and free listings.
“Shoppers can now see when their orders will arrive, with shipping annotations like ‘Free delivery by Fri, Dec 24,’ or ‘Get it by Dec 24,’” Madrigal said in the post. Also, sellers can offer buyers more time to make holiday returns.
Learn more: Google Tweaks Shopping Tab Features
