(New York) It’s not yesterday that we hear that the most popular items are virtually impossible to find during the holiday season.
But this year, the pandemic’s impact on the supply chain is causing unprecedented shortages in multiple categories, from microchips needed to make game consoles to ties and pajamas.
Some consumers have made their purchases earlier than usual, as the situation is expected to only worsen as Christmas approaches.
On Cyber Monday, the craziest online shopping day of all year, the prevalence of ‘out of stock’ messages jumped 8% from the previous week, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index. Between the 1er and on November 29, the number of ‘out of stock’ messages nearly doubled from January 2020 (before the pandemic) and exploded by 258% from November 2019, Adobe said.
Some retailers have deployed online tools that suggest alternatives to consumers if the product of their choice is no longer available. Others offer short questionnaires to help consumers make up their minds.
But no alternative is acceptable or possible in some cases, such as the toys in greatest demand. Some discouraged consumers turn to eBay, even paying several times the suggested retail price. Experts also expect the popularity of gift cards to increase.
The stakes are immense for retailers. If consumers cannot find what they want in a store, they may turn to its rival or simply buy nothing at all. This could dampen holiday sales, which are expected to be up 8.5% to 10.5% in November-December compared to the same period last year, according to the largest group of retailers in the United States, the National Retail Federation.
Experts say the pandemic has taught consumers to try new brands and products when their first choice isn’t available. This is particularly what happened during the toilet paper shortage, when some were forced to give up their usual brand.
The situation was further complicated when consumers took over the businesses. Retailers and manufacturers were taken aback, especially when they also had to contend with a shortage of containers, a bottleneck at ports and a shortage of workers to unload goods.
The global shortage of computer chips has added to the list of hard-to-find electronic gadgets. Several analysts believe the supply problems will last at least until next year.
Small retailers struggle to find supplies even more than large ones. In a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which represents US SMEs, 39% of respondents reported that supply issues had had a significant impact on their business. Half of the participants reported moderate or modest impact, and 10% no impact.
TTPM toy site editor Jim Silver says he usually advises consumers looking for a particularly desirable toy to show up at the retailer on Friday night, when deliveries arrive in preparation for the weekend. . This advice does not apply this year, as deliveries are unpredictable.
Instead, he suggests that consumers search online to see who has what they’re looking for. He also advises looking for products made in the country.
“There are going to be better stocks of the products that are made here,” Silver said.