Consumer Trend Guide Holiday Shopping Season Paribus from Capital One. All rights reserved.

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1 Consumer Trend Guide Holiday Shopping Season 2018

2 This summer, consumer confidence rose to its highest levels since 2001, topping out at in July and beating economists expectations. What I Love About You. To earn that loyalty, customers name price (72%), product variety (64%) and product quality (51%) as the most important features, followed by a generous return policy (33%) and excellent customer service (31%). What Men Want. When men go shopping, they expect high quality items that last and consumer service representatives that go the distance. Men value product quality more than women (54% to 48%), as well as good customer service (35% to 27%.) Parents, also, are more on the lookout for high product quality compared to non-parents (54% to 48%), probably because children have a way of a breaking all but the most durable of items. One-Stop Shop. While a pleasant customer service representative is always a bonus, sometimes busy shoppers just want to get everything they need quickly and efficiently. That s why, after value (60%), consumers say the ability to purchase all the items they need in one place (39%) and a convenient location (31%) are among the top attributes they consider when selecting where to shop.

3 In and Out. With only 24 hours in a day, and 500 things to get done, women are always on the lookout for ways to fit in their errands. One-stop shopping is often the answer to the time conundrum. Women (43%) are more likely to name a one-stop shopping experience as one of their top 2 favorite attributes of a retailer than are men (33%). Retailer Beware. All the work that goes into a building a loyal customer base can go out the window with a bad return or exchange experience. More than two-thirds (69%) of shoppers say they are likely never to return to a retailer if they have a bad return or exchange experience. Online Hassles. Retailers should avoid customers top online shopping pet peeves to maintain a faithful following. They are: Shipping costs: 53% Difficult return policies or procedure: 31% Shipping times: 30% Quality: 25% Unreliable reviews: 23% Holding a Grudge. Millennials, with their affinity for convenience-enhancing life hacks, really dislike return hassles. In fact, more than a third of Millennials (36%) are very likely to never to return to a retailer after a bad experience, compared to Gen Xers (28%) and Boomers (24%) who say the same.

4 Testing Patience. Digital natives are accustomed to instant gratification and highly value convenience. Millennials, at 38%, are more dissatisfied with a retailer when it takes too long to get their items, compared to 31% of Gen Xers and only 22% of Boomers who feel the same. They ll Be Back. And price-savvy consumers don t ignore that drop. A majority (71%) would actively seek a refund for the difference in price. Hearts and Minds. But sometimes it s the little things that make the big differences. Retailers who go the extra mile by granting an adjustment on a previous purchase after a price drop win consumers hearts. In fact, 90% say they would be more likely to shop at a retailer if they knew they could get money back if the price of an item dropped later. You Can t Hide. Whether retailers alert them or not, consumers notice when there s been a change in price. More than two-thirds (67%) frequently monitor price drops for an item after they buy it.

5 Biggest Tickets Shoppers have their own wish-lists for big ticket items they see in their future. 75% are currently saving for such an item. Among those items: Furniture 30% Computer 30% Television 27% Major Household Appliance 25% Moms and Dads on Alert Parents have a sixth sense about a variety of things, including when there s been a price drop on an item they ve purchased. They are more likely to notice a price drop than are their childless counterparts 78% and 60%, respectively. And they are almost three times as likely to notice such drops all the time, at 29%, than are non-parents, at 11%. No Lollygagging. Shoppers who have money coming to them don t wait around to claim it. Nearly a quarter (24%) won t wait more than a week to get their refund, and more than half (54%) will pursue it within three weeks. Fight for the Price. Those with kids are especially vigilant when it comes to seeking money owed. Parents, at 77%, are more likely than those without children (67%) to seek a refund for the difference in price.

6 Methodology Notes The Paribus Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research ( among 1,500 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ between July 26 and August 1, 2018, using an invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adults, ages 18+. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 2.5 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.