Shoppers Turning to Curbside Pickup to ‘Lessen’ COVID-19 Worries: ETA

U.S. consumers remain undeterred from holiday shopping by inflation or COVID-19 pandemic worries, and more than three-quarters plan to spend the same or more on holiday gifts than last year, an Electronic Transactions Association survey found. ETA hired the Strawhecker Group to canvass 512 adults in late October, finding nearly half (47%) worried about the safety of shopping in-store due to COVID-19, and a majority (55%) concerned about finding empty shelves due to supply chain issues, said ETA. Consumers are turning to options like curbside pickup (71%) or delivery services (80%) “to lessen their worry,” it said.