When the COVID-19 pandemic caused global shutdowns in March, the effect that it would have on the upcoming holiday shopping season was probably the last thing on anybody’s mind. But with just a blink of an eye, the holiday season is upon us, and COVID-19 is still very much part of our everyday lives. The pandemic forced a rapid pivot in the retail world during slower shopping seasons, which left us wondering just how big of an impact it would make on this year’s holiday shopping season — arguably, the peak season for retail. We surveyed more than 5,000 consumers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., France, Germany and Australia to better understand how consumers will be shopping with COVID-19 still top of mind. With 82 percent of shoppers still planning to buy holiday gifts and 61 percent of shoppers planning to spend the same amount they did last year, consumers seem eager to spread some holiday gift-giving cheer. More than half (62 percent) of U.S. consumers are shopping online more than they did pre-COVID-19. This is reflected in our client network of more than 6,200 brand and retailer sites, as each month of shelter-in-place has seen significant growth in page
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