BRIANWOOLF.COM

Welcome Marketing & Loyalty Speaking & Connecting Brian's View Books by Brian Marketing Studies Contact Us

Have you seen The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook?

This comprehensive and practical guide to the latest ideas in customer-focused marketing hands you over 200 packed pages of strategy, best practices, do's and don'ts, practical know-how, facts and figures, and ideas to optimise your marketing strategy, boost sales, market share, increase ROI and profit.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Consumers itching to spend as Covid restrictions lift

How are Americans going to splash out this year?

Consumers are eager to shop, eat out and travel after a year of COVID-19 restrictions, according to research from global payments company Blackhawk Network.

With an estimated US$1.7 trillion in excess savings during the pandemic1, and with the expanded vaccine rollout and the anticipation of a return to some normalcy, Americans are ready to make up for lost time.

Traveling, getting together with friends and family, and eating out top the list of activities consumers are most excited to celebrate together, and with those occasions, 76% of surveyed Americans anticipate giving more gifts.

The Return of Consumer Spending study asked US consumers where and how they plan to spend after restrictions relax further or lift. Top findings and trends included:

More to spend and give
The majority of survey respondents have big gifting plans, with 76% reporting they anticipate giving more gifts when pandemic restrictions lift. Respondents also report they plan to spend more on gifts, with 79% likely to increase spending on gifts.
Birthday and holiday spending post-COVID
Surveyed consumers are most excited to celebrate birthdays (73%) and holidays (71%) together. Along with those celebrations, 70% of consumers plan to spend US$100 or more on birthdays and 67% plan to spend as much or more on holidays.
Men and Gen X-ers are the big-spending gifters
Seventy-six percent of surveyed men and 77% of surveyed Gen X-ers plan to spend US$250-$500+ on gifts across all occasions, with birthdays and holidays being the most prevalent.
Return to services and experiences where pandemic access has been limited
When asked to rank the activities they are most excited to get back to doing, traveling, getting together with friends and family, eating out at a restaurant or bar and shopping for fun all topped the list. Playing or watching sports, live music and entertainment, going to the gym and visiting a spa or salon were also in the top 10 activities.

"We've all missed so many celebrations and milestones this past year, so it makes sense that we're seeing so much pent-up consumer demand aimed towards gifting," said Theresa McEndree, global head of marketing, Blackhawk Network. "Americans are excited to get back to special events, to reunite with their family and friends, and enjoy the connections that gift cards and gifting can provide."

Sources: Blackhawk Network / The Marketing Factbook.
Copyright © 2021 - 2025 The Marketing Factbook.

Categorised as:

Customer Experience
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Know-How
Marketing Technology

Have you seen The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook?

Learn the insider's tricks and techniques to turn every customers into a 'super spreader' for your brand. It's better than free advertising. Once you start this ball rolling, your brand can grow rapidly through word-of-mouth, advocacy, influencers, and customer loyalty. Super-charge your company's marketing strategy, build up your market share, and make more sales through repeat business and customer loyalty.

Find out what works - and what doesn't - and who's succeeded, and how they did it. See how the world's top brands keep their competitive edge against all odds.

The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook walks you step-by-step through the techniques, metrics, reporting, analysis, marketing models, technologies, tools and innovations for successful marketing strategies - both traditional and emerging - with expert guidance from thought leaders in every major market. Find out the best ways to gather, analyse, and act on customer data to increase profitability, build your brand, empower your customers, beat the competition, reduce churn, and increase customer profitability. This is a marketing book you simply can't afford to be without.

This book aims to hand you all the facts, figures and research data you need for the best decisions for a more profitable, more engaging marketing strategy. It also highlights all the facts, forecasts and trends identified by our experts from the global Marketing Factbook's vast database of market data, news, studies, research and articles, and presents you with an invaluable library of ideas and practical support you can call upon at will.

With The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook at your side, you'll have instant access to a true goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, research and market data, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid, profitable marketing strategy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)