(KERO) — The clock is ticking and if you still have some last-minute gifts to get for friends and family time is running out. But we got you covered. 23ABC alumnus Chloe Nordquist takes a look at some ideas as we inch closer to Christmas.
That feeling of watching a loved one open a handpicked gift won't exist for many this holiday season but there are still ways to give something meaningful without being there in person between the shipping delays and the call to stay at home this holiday season.
The way people can gift, especially last minute, is limited. AAA says 34 million fewer Americans are traveling this holiday season.
Part of that is thanks to e-commerce. The IBM U.S. Retail Index shows the pandemic has accelerated the move toward online shopping by five years. The National Retail Federation predicts that 60 percent of holiday shopping will be done online this year, up from 56 last year.
"Our buying patterns have shifted almost entirely online over the last 9 months," said Darrin Duber-Smith, a consumer behavior expert with over 3 decades of experience. "People are realizing or have realized over the last month that they had to change how they approach the holiday season."
"So many more goods and services are now available online. So many more so than even a year ago. So I think consumers have a lot more choices of what they can send," added Duber-Smith.
However, the flower bouquets and gift cards can seem impersonal.
"I really think all bets are off during the pandemic but there's gonna be lasting effects in consumer attitude and behavior going forward. Getting a gift basket that may or may not have a holiday greeting on it is becoming the norm."
"It's an hour of work to send someone a gift. If you think about it you need someone's address, you need to pick out a gift, you need to make sure if you can add a note, you need to make sure it can get there on time. "All that stuff," said Edward Lando.
So Lando created a solution to the problem by creating Goody, a gifting app that lets you send someone a gift in seconds. All you need is a phone number -- no address.
"It's not a normal form of buying something online. And it's not only e-commerce, it's like a messaging experience."
The app gives the gift recipient the whole experience of "opening" a gift virtually and swap out a gift for one of similar value if they don't like it. It also speaks to the need for the gratification the gift giver gets.
"There's a huge psychological component to gift-giving," said Duber-Smith.
"When you send a gift to someone and they opened it, you get a little notification that says Melissa opened your gift, 'oh that's interesting shes reading my card right now' and then you get another one that says she accepted your gift and added a note and 'oh that cool what does the note say,'" explained Lando.
Gifting trends are also shifting to more experiences.
"Those are the things that are more personal than gift cards because you understand what the consumer likes," said Duber-Smith.
And it's something you can give this holiday season that doesn't require shipping. As you shop for your last-minute gifts this week, consider how you're shopping.
"2021 could be the year for experiences as sort of everyone gets out," continued Duber-Smith. "I think what it did is it exposed how important e-commerce is to everyone."
