Holiday predictions: big buys, binge-watching and shopping from the bathroom

SPONSORED | As a global leader in digital payments, PayPal knows the online shopping landscape unlike anyone else in the world.

It takes part in the radical transformation of shopping through technology – changes that are most visible during the festive season.

Much like PayPal, holiday shopping has grown beyond simply pressing one button at a given moment. It encompasses the rise of mobile devices and the associated security and simplicity in making a purchase, with confidence, at a moment’s notice.

Shoppers will take advantage of this freedom in many ways: to help relieve the stress of the season, to take advantage of a great deal or, sometimes, to send, spend and give in an entirely new place!

PayPal has combined data from its network with a new survey to better understand these trends. Here’s what it discovered.

Shoppers will turn to mobile to stress less, buy big and make the most of Cyber Monday – the day after the Thanksgiving weekend in the US, now famous for its online shopping offers.

Many consumers find holiday shopping so stressful that they would rather do a multitude of unenviable activities than fight the crowds. One in five of the so-called Younger Boomers and Gen-Xers would rather go to the dentist, and roughly one in five millennials (19%) would rather text their boss over the weekend.

Fortunately, more and more shoppers are taking advantage of their mobile devices to simplify their shopping. Thanks to innovations like PayPal One Touch, which allows shoppers to remain logged in and check out faster across millions of merchants, PayPal saw a 56% year-over-year increase in mobile payment transactions this past quarter (as reported in PayPal’s third-quarter earnings on October 20 2016) and expects to see more shoppers turn to their mobile devices during the holidays.

Smartphone shopping isn’t just for stocking stuffers, however. PayPal predicts the largest holiday transaction on mobile this year will be above $64,000 (more than R850,000) – based on the average number of global mobile transactions it saw on its platform between 2013 and 2015. Not too long ago, the thought of buying via mobile seemed like the distant future!

Cyber Monday is one of the biggest online shopping days of the year. PayPal anticipates that this Monday, November 28, will mark the summit of the shopping season once again. It expects more than $25,000 (more than R300,000) in total payment volume per second at the day’s peak, based on last year’s average for the peak hour, with 40% of millennials planning to shop on a mobile device.

Anytime, anywhere, shopping will reach new heights … and locations.

Even more than how they pay, shoppers are also particular about how and when they shop this season.

Case in point: 22% of respondents to a PayPal survey reported they would shop on the toilet – an increase of 7 percentage points over 2014! Furthermore, more than a third (34%) said they would shop in bed for their partners or spouses while they were sleeping next to them.

Also interesting is the rise of the second screen: 59% of millennials plan do to their holiday shopping while binge-watching TV. All that binging could signal what’s on their wish list: PayPal predicts its consumers will spend more than $141-million on digital music and entertainment subscriptions this holiday season, based on the average number of global transactions on its platform from 2014 to 2015.

Fortunately, no matter where consumers are or what they’re doing at the time, PayPal connects them with a vast network of 15-million merchants all over the world, from local artisans to big retailers, so they can find one-of-a-kind gifts without even having to leave the couch (or wherever they may be).

Shopping and socialising will collide this festive season as consumers eat, drink and shop merrily.

Combining shopping with dinner or drinks is no longer considered the faux pas it once was, especially if there is a bargain to be had. In general, one in five millennials will shop at the dinner table with family and friends.

They won’t be shopping parched, either: one-third of millennials will have a drink while shopping for holiday gifts. Those shoppers who buy something that doesn’t fit or isn’t right, or those who just regret the choices they made after a few too many drinks, can get their eligible return shipping costs reimbursed when shopping with PayPal (limitations apply).

PayPal says: “We’re excited about the festive season ahead and can’t wait to hear about all the fun ways our consumers will spend and give this year!”

This article was paid for by PayPal.