CHARLOTTE – A survey conducted by SecurityNerd found that more than half of shoppers will stay out of stores this holiday season due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The company surveyed 1,501 people between Oct. 5-8 using Google Surveys.
Approximately 54 percent said they plan to minimized in-store shopping during the holiday season. Consumers will also limit in-person interaction with family and friends to curb the coronavirus’s spread, with 43 percent planning to limit in-person holiday gift-giving with friends and family.
“Despite the fact that festive get-togethers will see a decrease, most people’s enthusiasm for giving gifts to loved ones is unwavering. Holiday gift shipping is set to break records and is likely to result in an increase of holiday package theft from front porches or doorsteps,” Julie Evans, consumer safety editor at SecurityNerd, said in the release.
As the pandemic shapes shopping habits, 38 percent of respondents said they would have their packages shipped directly to the home.
Forty percent of consumers expressed concern about the expanded presence of “porch pirates,” known as people who steal boxes and other items from porches.
The company recommended several tips to limit package theft: give special instructions before ordering and shipping the package, pickup is better than at-home delivery, sign up for tracking updates, request signature for delivery.
The press release can be found here.
This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media
