SPONSORED CONTENT -- (StatePoint) Health and safety, shipping delays and a constrained budget -- these are just some of the concerns that may be amplifying your shopping stress this holiday season.

A new consumer sentiment survey centered on the holiday season can help you know what to expect in the coming weeks so you can make a smart shopping game plan. The Sensormatic Solutions survey finds that more people plan to shop in-store this year over last and plan to get started earlier. Indeed, while 63% of U.S. consumers are concerned about shopping in-store, this isn’t stopping them from taking advantage of annual deal days or visiting enclosed malls. In fact, 50% of U.S. consumers still plan to shop in-store during Black Friday weekend and 50% will start their holiday shopping before November, compared to 43% in winter 2020.

Despite many consumers indicating that they plan to hold fast to the traditional shopping experience, the survey also finds that a growing number of consumers are adopting newer shopping methods. This is in part because of the convenience these services offer. For example, 42% of those surveyed say they’ll use buy online, pick-up in store (BOPIS) services for their holiday shopping, a 9% increase from 2020, and 44% say they’ll use curbside pickup, a 12% increase from 2020. Popularized during the pandemic to help people adhere to social distancing guidelines, these fulfillment options are great alternatives to brick-and-mortar shopping.

“We expect more contactless checkouts and unified commerce services like BOPIS and curbside pickup this holiday season because health and safety is paramount,” says Kim Melvin, global leader of marketing, Sensormatic Solutions, which is helping retailers solve complex challenges related to consumer confidence, health and safety as part of Johnson Controls’ mission.

As you check all your items off your holiday shopping list, consider the following tips from Sensormatic Solutions:

• Avoid busy stores and crowds by starting your shopping early.

• Take advantage of annual deal days without navigating in-store traffic or risking online shipping delays by using unified commerce services like BOPIS and curbside pickup.

• Forty-five percent of U.S. consumers said store occupancy limits preventing overcrowding would make them feel more confident shopping in-store this holiday season. If that describes you, take your business to stores adhering to occupancy limits and practicing other safety measures. The good news is that businesses have a lot of tools in their toolbox. New technologies are helping retailers understand expected shopper patterns so they can implement in-store strategies to better service their customers.

For more holiday season shopping insights, visit sensormatic.com.

As we enter the second holiday season of the pandemic, smart strategies can help you get your shopping done safely and with ease.

Photo Credit: (c) Kzenon / stock.Adobe.com