After taking a major hit on Black Friday, Oklahoma retailers are hoping to use these final days of holiday shopping to bounce back and recoup some sales. Many are relying on the fact that – nationwide – most people prefer an in-store shopping experience.
In the age of Amazon Prime and free shipping for many major stores with an online presence, it may seem counterintuitive that shoppers still choose to battle the mall frenzy during the holiday season. But they do, says The Journal Record's Molly Fleming.
“Online sales are picking up but it’s still a very tiny percent of actual sales for the holiday season,” she says.
In 2013, for example, The International Council of Shopping Centers reported online purchase only accounted for six percent of total retail sales. Fleming says that’s because shoppers want to have an in-store experience before making a purchase.
“People just want the experience,” Fleming says.
“People want to come in, they want to have good customer service. They want to have that opportunity to touch things. They want to be there and experience the product and experience the brand.”
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