There are so many questions. Are we ready to handle the wave of shoppers? Will there even be a wave of shoppers? Can we react quickly if market conditions change?

Sometimes it would be nice to have a crystal ball.

But the challenges procurement and supply chain professionals face are serious. The decisions you make in navigating these challenges will directly affect your business. Of course, timely and accurate decision-making requires insight that is not magic, like a crystal ball. It requires access to data, visibility into supply chains, and collaboration between trading partners.

Fortunately, by digitalizing procurement processes and engaging with trading partners via business networks, it is possible to gain the visibility and business insights required to plan for events like the holiday shopping season and be ready when disruptions occur.

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Of course, there is also the old school way to gain market insight: ask consumers. As the holiday shopping season approaches, we have done just that. We wanted to know how inflation is affecting consumer purchasing habits, what consumers are expecting in terms of a recession, and how their spending habits could change in the coming year. So we asked 1,000 U.S.-based consumers across a wide range of age groups. Here is what we found.

Inflation Is Forcing Many to Adjust Their Holiday Buying Habits

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently announced . Inflation continues to dog our economy and, as a result, 65% of the consumers in our survey said they plan to cut their holiday budgets. Gen Z (69%) and Millennials (76%) were especially emphatic about spending less.

Here are some other insights.

• Price is key. Consumers also say they will be looking closely at the price of goods. In fact, 45% say it is the top factor they will weigh in purchasing decisions. A whopping 73% included price in their top three factors.
• How they will shop. In an interesting development, 54% of consumers surveyed reported they will change where they shop — of those, 39% say inflation is causing them to shop more online; surprisingly only 15% said they will seek bargains in the stores.
• Where they will cut back. A majority of consumers plan to cut their holiday budget — but where? It turns out that that 61% will be dining out less, and 51% will be spending less on experiences and travel. Many consumers said they also expect to reduce spending on fashion and beauty (46%) and electronics (37%).
• Many consumers face difficult choices. Holiday buying aside, the survey reminds us that many households are forced to make tough spending decisions. Although 16% of the consumers surveyed told us they are not reducing spending amid inflation, it is telling that 22% are being forced to cut spending on essential items.

Consumers Expect a Recession, Further Curbing Their Willingness to Spend

Looking beyond the holidays and into next year, consumers do not seem optimistic. Three quarters of those surveyed said they believe a recession is coming within the next year. And if that happens, 59% expect to decrease their spending.

One way they will do this is by shopping deals rather than staying loyal to brands. Twenty-eight percent said they plan to switch brands if prices increase. Overall, only 19% say they will stay loyal to the brands they prefer. Brand loyalty for Baby Boomers is almost non-existent: only 10% say they plan to stay loyal to the brands they normally prefer.

Concern about Shortages Is Only Increasing

A similar conducted by 51风流in February 2021 — with the pandemic entering its second year — showed that concerns about supply chain disruptions and product shortages were weighing on consumers.

However, our most recent survey indicates that consumers are now even more apprehensive than they were 18 months ago. Food leads the list with 77% of respondents saying they were concerned about shortages in the coming year. Gen X and Baby Boomers were especially concerned, at 83% and 85% respectively. By comparison, in February 2021 only 48% noted food shortages as a concern.

Our most recent survey also highlighted increasing concern over shortages of hygienic or personal care products such as toilet paper (49%, up from 44% in 2021) and prescriptions (36%, up from 20% in 2021).

Is Digitalization the New Crystal Ball?

This holiday shopping season, if procurement and supply chain leaders had that crystal ball that could help them navigate the uncertainty, they would gladly use it. Unfortunately, we have not perfected that technology. But there is good news for retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and most other industries. 51风流offers technology solutions that provide unmatched visibility, efficiency, and flexibility to deal with rapidly changing business requirements — including those occurring during the holidays.

As requirements for products and materials change, make it possible to digitalize procurement processes, putting transaction data in one place so you can act efficiently, accurately, and quickly. Likewise, by sharing data with suppliers within , you can collaborate on forecasts and gain foresight into what is happening within your supply chain.

In fact, when I compare SAP鈥檚 powerful spend management and business network solutions to a crystal ball, I come to one conclusion: crystal balls are overrated.

Etosha Thurman is chief marketing and solutions officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post Holiday Shopping by the Numbers: What Are Consumers Thinking? appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Those of us in the supply chain industry understand that disruptions have persisted since March 2020. This has created a mainstream perception of supply chains as increasingly volatile, expensive, and unreliable 鈥� but disruption has been more of an intermittent and confusing frustration for most in 2021, instead of the panic-buying and supply-hoarding catalyst it was in 2020.

Going into the holiday season, some industry insiders are fearful that these disruptions will hit hard again. Supply chain disruptions are forcing companies to think twice about the timing of their holiday sales, and many retailers are warning consumers to get their holiday shopping done early this year to avoid shortages and shipping delays. In fact, many retailers such as Amazon and Target announced their holiday deals much earlier than usual this year, having started in early October rather than late November. Leaving the majority of holiday shopping to Black Friday weekend could lead to many consumers being sorely disappointed with bare shelves, empty online shopping carts, and delayed deliveries.

With persistent challenges in procurement and the supply chain, 51风流surveyed 1,000 American adults to help better understand how they view the latest supply disruptions and their sentiment around the industry overall. Some interesting findings surfaced:

• Frustration is growing as holiday supply chain challenges loom.
  Almost half of consumers (49%) experienced longer ship times during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 42% expressed frustration with how companies are managing their supply chains. The majority of consumers (83%) also reported experiencing out-of-stock items during the pandemic. Patience is wearing thin, as nearly two-thirds (65%) think companies should have found solutions to supply chain challenges by now.
• Baby boomers have high expectations for gift availability and delivery while millennials and Generation Zers are more skeptical.
  Eighty-one percent of baby boomers expect holiday gifts to be available and in stock, compared to 75% of millennials and 60% from Gen Z. Furthermore, 78% of boomers expect gifts to arrive on time, while 63% of millennials and just over half of Gen Z respondents (54%) said the same. Overall, one-third of consumers are planning for the worst, expecting that gifts will not arrive in time for the holidays this year. Having the visibility in place to inform consumers of product availability and delivery timeline is crucial to avoiding disappointment this holiday season.
• Most consumers are forgiving of supply chain mishaps, but not right away.
  One in 10 consumers say that if a gift they purchase does not arrive on time for the holidays, they would never shop at that retailer again. Another 47% noted that they would not shop with that retail company again immediately, but that they may in the future. No matter how or why it happens, supply chain disruptions hurt brand loyalty among customers.
• Delivering gifts on time is not the only factor brands need to consider.
  Sustainability continues to play a bigger role in consumers鈥� buying decisions, even when it comes to holiday gifts. This is particularly true among younger consumers, as half of millennials said sustainability influences their gift purchasing decisions. Overall, 39% said they purchase from brands that tout sustainability, while 30% prioritize sustainable practices when making purchases, such as selecting slower shipping to combine packages and reduce waste. Brands can promote sustainability through their own procurement practices by ensuring the products and materials sourced are done so in a sustainable manner 鈥� from limiting carbon footprint to sourcing recycled/recyclable materials.

After last year鈥檚 chaotic holiday season that had more consumers buying online than ever before, proactive businesses and consumers are adapting their approach this season, especially with ongoing disruption anticipated this year.

For consumers, as of early October, almost a third (29%) had already changed at least one gift purchase based on supply chain shortages, and only 24% of total respondents expressed that they do not plan to shift their buying behaviors this holiday season. Almost half (45%) are buying earlier, and 44% are buying more online. Millennials are changing their plans the most, with 55% buying earlier than in previous years.

For businesses, agility and visibility are the name of the game. We have all experienced so much disruption from all angles recently, and there鈥檚 no going back to 鈥渘ormal鈥� as consumers 鈥� and businesses 鈥� continue to change buying behaviors.

Businesses need to broaden visibility not only across their own operations but across those of their trading partners as well, with the dual objectives of . To achieve this level of transparency, businesses are turning to to capture the widest possible view into the interconnected operations of their trading partners from buyers and suppliers to partners in logistics, finance, and contingent labor. Meanwhile, these digital networks 鈥� previously discrete according to function 鈥� are beginning to converge through cloud-based applications, unlocking exponential value in the process.

Consumers and businesses alike have been burned by supply chain issues and shortages during the pandemic, but with the right approach to this holiday season, we can still make it a merry one.

Etosha Thurman is chief marketing and solutions officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post Shop Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Supply Chain Frustrations Accelerating Holiday Sales appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.