During the all-important holiday season, it can be difficult for marketers to predict how, where, and why consumers shop. To gain clarity, Roku partnered with Lucid on a survey of 2,000 participants, made up of equal parts Roku and non-Roku users.
Below are three new learnings from our Retail Thought Leadership Report that are especially relevant as we head into the holiday shopping season.
Never underestimate the value of easy
The top shopping motivator for Roku streamers? Convenience. Fifty-one percent of Roku users prefer retailers that are both close to home and carry everything that they’re looking for.¹
Ease is especially important during the winter holiday shopping season, when many consumers have long lists of friends and family to shop for. Roku users are big gift givers, with 12% having begun their holiday gift hunting as early as May.² (Don’t fret about being late, though: One in four plan to start shopping between October and Thanksgiving).³ In our survey, 45% of Roku users recalled seeing a retail ad in the last month.⁴ The holiday season provides a great opportunity for brands to communicate why your product would make the perfect gift.
The second-leading shopping motivator for our streamers? Price.⁵ With inflation still a factor in many household budgets, it’s not a shock that customers prioritize retailers who can give them everything they need at a price they can afford. And cost is especially important to younger streamers. Half of Gen Z Roku streamers list value as their top priority.⁶
Online vs. in-store? Debunking the linear path to purchase
While it may be tempting to generalize about where consumers shop these days, our research reinforces that the consumer path to purchase is anything but linear. For example, online shopping tools play a role in a consumer’s in-person purchase, with seven in 10 Roku streamers saying they research products online before buying in-store.⁷ The days of single-touchpoint marketing are over.
Between online and IRL shopping, Roku users are evenly split.⁸ But there are clear ways to target consumers based on two factors: why they’re shopping and what they’re buying.
When Roku users shop online, they’re doing so for the ability to research and compare products across vectors of price, convenience, and customer reviews.⁹ But to get the benefits of tangibility and assessing quality, users will shop in-store.¹⁰ Typically, these vectors align with certain products. For example, Roku users prefer the in-person experience when shopping for groceries, furniture, and footwear.¹¹ But when it comes to electronics and appliances, they would rather shop online, likely because they can easily research and compare products.
TV streaming is an essential omnichannel touchpoint
Today, more people than ever shop online while streaming. Insider Intelligence found that 74% of American adults use another device while watching TV at least once a month.¹² And Roku data shows that one in three Roku streamers often shop online while they watch, a 32% increase over non-Roku users.¹³
TV streaming is now an important shopping moment to connect and convert potential customers—an opportunity to engage them while they shop online, research brands, and decide what to buy.
And of the many ways Roku users see ads, such as social media, websites, or YouTube, TV remains the most preferred place.¹⁴
Roku users aren’t just idly browsing online while they stream, either. Our audience is 22% more likely to want to buy a product through an interactive streaming ad than non-Roku users.¹⁵
The number one category people want to buy directly from their connected TV is apparel, with a whopping 68% of respondents reporting interest.¹⁶ For holiday retailers, this makes TV streaming an obvious partner, as apparel remains one of the top two gift-giving categories for holiday shoppers.¹⁷
The categories of footwear, electronics, and food & beverage also garner major interest. Our research suggests streamers are open to a variety of price points, with one in four Roku users saying they’d be willing to spend between $101-$200 on a purchase through their TV.¹⁸
What’s next?
Consumers engage with brands in-store, online, and now on the TV. This holiday season, give your brand the gift of reach and interactivity by tapping into all that Roku has to offer.
Schedule a meeting with our ad sales team today to learn more about path-to-purchase insights and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected with Roku Advertising.
¹¯¹¹ Lucid “Examining the Roku Shopper” Retail Study, 2023
¹² eMarketer Insider Intelligence, 2022
¹³¯¹⁸ Lucid “Examining the Roku Shopper” Retail Study, 2023
Methodology
- Design: 10-minute online survey from 05/01/2023 – 05/10/2023 leveraging Lucid’s panel for recruitment. Sample was weighted to reflect overall US Population Census Data.
- Overall Sample: N=2,000
- Roku Users: N=981 (defined as owns Roku player/stick or Roku Smart TV)
- Non-Roku Users: N=1,019 (defined as does not own Roku player/stick or Roku Smart TV)
- Screening Criteria: 18+ years old and lives in the U.S.
