---
title: "Holiday shopping, Customer expectations, and Returns - Weekly Snacks #84"
description: Discover the latest holiday shopping trends, customer expectations, and retail technology in this week's blog. Learn about Walmart's shoppable holiday campaign, out-of-stock robots in hardware stores, and more. Stay informed and up-to-date with the retail industry.
---

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# [Holiday shopping, Customer expectations, and Returns - Weekly Snacks #84](https://www.tokinomo.com/blog/holiday-shopping-customer-expectations-and-returns-weekly-snacks-84)

 Written by [Nicoleta](https://www.tokinomo.com/blog/author/nicoleta) | Dec 12, 2023 9:42:05 AM

## Campaign corner

**Coca-Cola Christmas commercial. **Coca-Cola encourages spreading winter cheer with "[I Could Be Santa Claus](https://www.ispot.tv/ad/5_ZC/coca-cola-holidays-the-season-of-sharing)" by Celeste in the background. From holding doors for strangers to surprising family with presents, small acts of kindness matter during the holidays. A heartwarming family reunion unfolds, and a Coca-Cola truck, driven by a man in a red suit, lights up the snowy night.

**Bar tree. **In honor of its 120th anniversary, [Miller High Life](https://eu.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/beer/2023/12/05/miller-high-life-releasing-neon-table-top-tree-thats-dive-bar-scented/71805792007/) is launching a neon table-top tree inspired by classic dive bar aesthetics, featuring scent bead satchels with sweet tobacco and teakwood fragrances to evoke the distinctive scent of a dive bar.

## Retail technology

**Shoppable holiday. **Walmart's latest marketing campaign, "Add to Heart," blends [narrative-driven content with shopping capabilities](https://www.retaildive.com/news/walmart-shoppable-holiday-marketing-ads-tiktok-roku/700866/) in a 23-part commercial series. The campaign, running on platforms like TikTok, Roku, and YouTube, tells the story of Jessica, a New York designer, and allows viewers to shop items featured in the episodes, totaling 330 products. With a focus on bridging content and commerce, Walmart aims to enhance its online presence, particularly among younger demographics, and reframe itself as a digital destination beyond its physical stores.

**Out-of-stock robots. **Stine stores, a regional hardware chain in Louisiana and Mississippi, is employing Badger Technologies' autonomous robots to detect [out-of-stock products](https://chainstoreage.com/southern-hardware-retailer-stine-detects-out-stocks-robots) with over 95% accuracy, reducing out-of-stock items by up to 50%. The robots also enhance price-tag accuracy by more than 97%, freeing up store associates from manual tasks and improving on-shelf product availability. 

## Time for retail expertise

**Holiday selling. **Were you encouraged by Black Friday weekend’s traffic? Is online taking over as retail’s holiday-purchase driver? What other trends over the weekend stood out to you? These are the questions that various retail experts answered in one of [Retail Wire’s discussions](https://retailwire.com/discussion/does-black-friday-weekends-performance-bode-well-for-holiday-selling/). This is what Mark Ryski mentioned: 

**“Keep it” return. ***Do you see more pros than cons in “keep it” return policies by retailers for certain items? How would you structure such a program to limit abuse?* Various retail experts shared their opinions regarding these questions in one of [Retail Wire’s discussions](https://retailwire.com/discussion/should-retailers-embrace-keep-it-return-policies/). Dave Bruno shared his thoughts:

## In other news…

**Online shopping in 2024. **Approximately 42% of the 1,000 U.S. participants in a Bank of America survey express intentions to increase their [online spending](https://www.retaildive.com/news/consumers-spend-online-2024-survey/701555/) in the next year, with convenience being the primary motivator. Concerns about being unable to try products before purchase are diminishing. About 64% of respondents turn to Amazon first when making purchases, and 78% of them have a Prime membership. The survey highlights that 29% prioritize low prices, followed by shipping time and costs (21%), selection (21%), and a user-friendly interface (19%) as essential features in online shopping.

**Holiday shopping expectations. **The 2023 U.S. holiday shipping survey by Blue Yonder reveals that 48% of [holiday shoppers](https://chainstoreage.com/consumer-expectations-holiday-delivery-are) are unwilling to pay for expedited shipping, with a higher percentage (64%) among baby boomers. Only 13% are willing to pay between $11 and $20 for expedited shipping. Additionally, 45% would consider alternative methods like buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) only if the pick-up location is convenient, and 20% are not open to alternative delivery methods. Skepticism about the reliability of home delivery is noted by 48% of respondents, but half believe ordering online by Dec. 15 ensures Christmas delivery. A preference for in-store shopping (38%) is driven by flexible return options, with 35% valuing free in-store returns.

 

[View full post](https://www.tokinomo.com/blog/holiday-shopping-customer-expectations-and-returns-weekly-snacks-84)

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