August 10, 2021
Excited for a little travel to go with your holiday shopping this year?
Not so fast.
Despite the moratorium on travel last year and the eagerness many feel to get back on the road, grandma may not be calling to ask for a holiday visit this year, either. What’s more? The kids may not want to go. While Millennials and Gen X grow restless, significant disagreements over whether families should get together this holiday season exist along generational lines as Gen Z and Boomers are reluctant to travel or take part in holiday gatherings.
Our latest Consumer & Retail study, Sink or Soar During the 2021 Holidays: Redefine Your Brand and Gain Market Share, provides a close look at the trends that will define the crucial 2021 holiday shopping and travel season. When it comes to travel, it’s the kids and grandparents who are least likely to want to get together, while parents may be eager to get out and see family and friends.
Older generations are particularly cautious about declaring the pandemic over—a sentiment which is likely to be reinforced as new restrictions take effect in response to climbing case counts around the country. These consumers won’t jump back into pre-pandemic activities lightly.
Travel and tourism and adjacent companies need to be ready for anything this winter, but should avoid treating 2021 as a “post-pandemic” holiday season. With families making plans now and keeping the emerging Delta variant in mind, they will expect and prioritize flexibility, such as easy cancellation options or the ability to rebook quickly and near their travel date. The brands that offer these options—along with reasonable prices and safety measures that keep travelers comfortable and confident—will emerge as the winners of the 2021 holiday season.
To learn more, click the button below to download the full report and arm yourself with the tools and strategies needed to win during the critical holiday season. Looking for more catered advice or want to know more about your specific customer base? We can help with that, too.
Greg Mishkin
Senior Vice President, Telecom, Consumer & Retail
Greg is a senior vice president in the Consumer Goods & Retail and Telecommunications industry groups, with additional focus at the intersection of consumer and health, and is in high demand as a speaker and author in the market research and telecom fields. Greg’s responsibilities include managing and growing key client relationships while pushing the envelope on how Escalent’s methods solve complex business challenges through the thoughtful combination of multiple research approaches. He is known for turning extremely complex data into actionable insights and transforming research into competitive advantage for his clients, often by harnessing emerging methods such as AI and synthetic data to expand what’s possible in modern insights work. He currently holds multiple patents related to data-focused market research methodologies. Greg earned a master’s degree in business administration from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA; a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Hartford in Hartford, CT; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Union College in Schenectady, NY. He lives outside Atlanta and, when not working, can usually be found playing tennis and pickleball, enjoying long walks with his wife Christine and their dog, Boots, or traveling up and down the East Coast to visit their kids and their parents.
Blayk Puckett
Research Analyst, Consumer & Retail
Blayk is a research analyst on Escalent’s Consumer Goods & Retail team. He joined the company in 2019 and brings a fresh perspective, having studied marketing and data analytics at the University of Central Arkansas while working in performance arts, retail, and consumer technology. He applies his education, interests, and prior work experience to a variety of project engagements across the Consumer & Retail, Tech and Telecom teams, and works closely with clients to develop and execute meaningful research that answers their toughest questions. Blayk’s love of learning and ever-curious nature has led him to not only seek out a better understanding of the complex analyses behind the data, but also to find ways to translate those same esoteric concepts to help inform strategic business decisions. When he takes his market research hat off, Blayk spends his free time performing as a juggler and magician, and he can often be found on the weekends entertaining at a variety of events. His wife is also a juggler, and at their wedding, they chose to replace the traditional first dance with a “first juggle” as a surprise for their guests.
