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Parents' Online Shopping Habits - US - April 2019

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Definition
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Overview
The issues
Issue: parents are active online shoppers, yet some hesitation still exists
Opportunity: reducing hesitation through omni-channel capabilities
Issue: endless options dilute loyalty
Opportunity: use social media to establish meaningful connections with parents
Issue: savings motivates most online trips
Opportunity: build baskets with young parents
What it means
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Family growth is stagnant, due to changing lifestyles
Today’s parents are digitally native, but still seek traditional experiences
MARKET SIZE 
Growth of family households is stagnant
Figure 1: Parents with coresident children under age 18, 2008-18
MARKET PERSPECTIVE 
Parents today: who are they and how do they shop?
Figure 2: Parents by age, February 2019
Figure 3: Parents by generation, February 2019
MARKET FACTORS 
Smaller and fewer families will impact needs and behavior
Figure 4: Households, by presence of own children, 2008-18
Figure 5: Households by number of members, 2018
Diverse families lead to diversified shopping needs and preferences
Figure 6: Households with related children (% of total), by race and Hispanic origin of householder, 2018
Figure 7: Living arrangements of children under age 18 (%), by race, 2018
KEY PLAYERS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Amazon and mass are most shopped and most preferred
Department store retailers are overshadowed
Emerging interest in second hand stores and subscription services
WHAT’S WORKING?
Amazon is universally appealing
Figure 8: Preferred retailers (NET any rank) – Most preferred (top four), February 2019
How Amazon wins with shoppers
Try-before-you-buy options
Customized delivery options
Physical locations
Young parents appreciate Walmart and Target
Walmart’s efforts to win parents
Target’s efforts to win parents
eBay is favorited by dads
WHICH RETAILERS ARE LOSING PARENTAL PREFERENCE?
Least preferred retailers
Figure 9: Preferred retailers (NET any rank), February 2019
Department stores and club stores lack parental approval
WHAT’S NEXT?
Emerging retailers
Alternative purchasing options will grow in popularity, especially among young parents
Figure 10: Subscription services and second hand retailers shopped, by age, February 2019
Retailer to watch: Solly Baby
Figure 11: Solly Baby “How I Wrap” in New Standard wrap, March 2018
Figure 12: Solly Baby “How I Wrap with Dad” in the New Standard wrap, March 2018
CONSUMER INSIGHTS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Parents shop a variety of categories online, often frequently
Most parents conduct multichannel searching and shopping
Convenience and value-players win with parents
Savings prompts parents to shop online, while most trips occur for gifting or specific needs
Deal-seeking dominates but opinion of others influences parents
ITEMS SHOPPED AND PURCHASE FREQUENCY
Key takeaways:
Parents more likely to shop online for most items
Figure 13: Items shopped (select), parents versus general population, February 2019
Shopping the necessities and doing so frequently
Figure 14: Items shopped, February 2019
Young, affluent parents shop across categories
Figure 15: Items shopped (select), 18-34s with HHI of $50K+ vs overall, February 2019
Moms shop for the household, while dads make specific purchases
Figure 16: Items shopped, by gender, February 2019
Hispanic parents are frequent shoppers
SHOPPING METHOD
Key takeaways:
Parents more likely to search across channels
Figure 17: Multichannel shopping method (NET any category), parents versus general population, February 2019
Searching and shopping primarily occurs in-store for most purchases
Figure 18: Shopping method – Categories searched, February 2019
Figure 19: Shopping method – Categories purchased, February 2019
School purchases can encourage cross-category shopping
Figure 20: Select categories bought online, 18-44s vs over-45s, February 2019
Figure 21: Select categories bought online, by gender, February 2019
Clothes shopping is a multi-channel experience
Figure 22: Multichannel clothes, shoes and accessories shopping, by age and gender, February 2019
RETAILERS SHOPPED ONLINE
Key takeaways:
Amazon is universally shopped by parents
Figure 23: Retailers shopped by parents, February 2019
Young dads are interested in alternative purchasing options/retailers
Figure 24: Subscription services and second hand retailers, by age and gender, February 2019
Hispanic parents are adventurous shoppers
Figure 25: Retailers shopped online, by Hispanic origin, February 2019
REASONS FOR BUYING ONLINE VERSUS IN-STORE
Key takeaways:
Motivations for parents to shop online
Time
Money
Figure 26: Reasons for buying online versus in-store, February 2019
Young moms enjoy shopping online
Figure 27: Young women and single moms reasons for buying online versus in-store, February 2019
Price, in some form, is a priority to all parents
Figure 28: Price-related reasons for buying online, by age, February 2019
REASONS FOR BUYING
Key takeaways:
Gifting and occasions are top reasons parents shop online
Figure 29: Reasons for buying, February 2019
Younger parents don’t always stick to their shopping lists
Figure 30: DSW email campaign, March 2019
Figure 31: Reasons for buying, by gender and age, February 2019
Moms are gifting, dads are replacing
Figure 32: Reasons for shopping – Gifting vs replacing, moms vs dads, February 2019
Hispanic parents are impulsive shoppers
Figure 33: Reasons for shopping (select), Hispanic vs Non-Hispanic, February 2019
ONLINE SHOPPING BEHAVIOR
Key takeaways:
Deal seeking dominates most parents’ behavior
Figure 34: Online shopping behavior, February 2019
Younger parents seek assistance from apps and tools
Figure 35: Online shopping behavior, by gender and age, February 2019
Family input impacts dads’ decisions
Figure 36: Sperry email campaign, March 2019
Figure 37: “I consult my family before buying” – Dads, February 2019
Hispanic parents utilize outside sources
Figure 38: Online shopping behavior, by Hispanic origin, February 2019
PURCHASE INFLUENCERS
Key takeaways:
Opinions of others matter most
Figure 39: Purchase influencers – NET any rank, February 2019
Social media has bigger influence on young parents
Figure 40: Purchase influencers, by age, February 2019
Opportunity to connect with certain parents through social mission and brand values
ATTITUDES TOWARD ONLINE SHOPPING
Key takeaways:
Loyalty is low online
Figure 41: Attitudes toward online shopping, February 2019
Automatic replenishment options appeal to younger dads
Figure 42: “Automatic reorders/replenishments are helpful” (% agree): dads, February 2019
Young, affluent parents are targets for basket building
Figure 43: Select attitudes toward online shopping (% agree), 18-34 with HHI of $50K+ vs overall parents, February 2019
Figure 44: Vineyard vines email campaign, January 2019
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
Data sources
Sales data
Consumer survey data
Direct marketing creative
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
APPENDIX – THE CONSUMER 
Figure 45: Purchase frequency (NET weekly & monthly), February 2019

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