The report by ThinkNow Research examines the holiday shopping trends of Asian-American consumers, highlighting their significant online shopping behavior, including a preference for researching and purchasing gifts online, which is notably higher than other racial groups. With Asian-Americans expected to spend significantly during the 2016 holiday season, marketers are encouraged to tailor their online messaging to engage this demographic effectively. Key insights indicate the importance of online reviews in the purchasing decision and that Asian-Americans are also likely to include co-workers in their holiday gift lists.

1. Written by
Mario Xavier Carrasco
Published
November 2016
Asian Holiday
Shopping Trends
2016
[Snapshot]

2. ThinkNowResearch.com
With almost 40% of the U.S. population comprised
of Hispanic, African-American, and Asian-American
consumers, we were curious to learn how each group’s
holiday shopping habits are similar and different to
each other and we’ve done so in our in-depth research
series: ThinkNow Retail™
– Total Market Holiday
Shopping Trends.
This month we will be focusing on the fastest growing
minority segment in the U.S.; Asians. Asian-Americans
represent $825 billion in consumer buying power—
which is expected to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2020.
As part of ThinkNow Research’s ongoing efforts to
provide insights that help marketers better serve
Asian-American consumers, this report highlights
the Holiday Shopping Habits and behaviors of
Asian-Americans, a relatively untapped topic from a
research standpoint. Asian-Americans display unique
Holiday Shopping Habits that allow points of entry for
marketers to connect with them this Holiday season.
The National Retail Federation expects sales
in November and December (excluding autos,
gas and restaurants) to jump 3.6 percent from
last year to $655 billion. The NRF’s Holiday
Forecast 2016 has non-store sales — 90
percent of which is e-commerce — growing by
seven to 10 percent to as much as $117 billion.

3. ThinkNowResearch.com
The 2016 Holiday Shopping season looks like it is a
going to be a bright spot for U.S. retailers across the
board with a significant lift among Asian-American
consumers. Almost 40% of Asian-American consumers
will be spending more this year than last.
The key takeaway from this report is the vital
importance of online for Holiday shopping among
Asian-American consumers. Not only are they
purchasing their gifts online, they are researching their
gift list online, and are more likely to move on to the
next item if the gift they are looking for is not available
for purchase online.
To help brands and companies better understand these
super Holiday consumers and how they compare to
the rest of the U.S., ThinkNow Research conducted an
online survey of 253 Asian, 245 non-Hispanic white, 249
African-American, and 502 U.S. Hispanic consumers.
The study explored holiday shopping habits in depth
and this report highlights the top 5 key insights we
uncovered among the Asian-American cohort.

4. ThinkNowResearch.com
Asian-Americans are relying heavily on the internet
not only to purchase their Holiday gifts but to research
their holiday gifts as well. When asked where they get
most of the ideas for gifts that they are planning to
buy, 35% of Asian-Americans stated that they search
online for gift ideas. This is statistically significantly
higher than both Whites at 23% and African-
Americans at 26%. Hispanics are the second most
likely group to look for gift ideas online at 28%.
Not only are Asian-Americans researching their
Holiday gift ideas online, they are also purchasing
them online. When thinking about all the holiday gifts
that they will buy this year, the percentage of gifts
they plan to buy online is 43%! This is statistically
significantly more than Hispanics at 34% and African-
Americans at 33%. Whites have the second highest
percentage of purchasing Holiday gifts online at 38%.
Asian-Americans
Are Online Shoppers
WHO LOOKS FOR GIFT IDEAS ONLINE?
Insight 1
35%
28%
26%
23%

5. ThinkNowResearch.com
The takeaway for marketers is clear; if you are not
tailoring your Holiday messaging online in a meaningful
way you are not going to win the Asian-American dollar.
2016 will be a record year for online Holiday shopping
across the board and our data shows that Asian-
Americans will be leading the pack. Asian consumers have
proven themselves to be among the most financially savvy.
They will not overpay for a product nor are they prone
to impulse purchases. They are, however, interested in
luxury brands and will pay for value. Providing them with
the information they need to research and make those
purchases online is key. With such a such percentage
of Asian-Americans researching and purchasing their
Holiday gifts online, they represent a glimpse into the
future of the Holiday shopping season.
Marketing Implications:

6. ThinkNowResearch.com
When we think about capturing a marketing dollar
we immediately think advertising. Whether it be
online, traditional, or print. Rarely do retailers think
about one of the most critical components of online
shopping, reviews.
The importance of online reviews is made even more
apparent when looking at Asian-American holiday
shoppers. We’ve already established that they rely
heavily on the internet for gift ideas and actual
purchase of gifts but what are the main reasons Asian-
American purchase holiday gifts online? Reviews.
Over half (51%) of Asian-Americans purchase their
gifts online because they can read reviews. This is
statistically significantly higher than Whites and
African-Americans at 36%. Hispanics aren’t too far
behind on relying on reviews at 42%.
Online Reviews
Are Critical
Insight 2
WHO RELIES ON REVIEWS FOR HOLIDAY PURCHASES?
51%
42%
36%

7. ThinkNowResearch.com
If you have an e-commerce site, get a review management
system. If you have a review management system, make
sure people post reviews! Not only are reviews important
to Asian-American shoppers, user reviews are proven
sales drivers in an e-commerce world. Older Millennial
Asian consumers are more likely to read but not write
online reviews. Younger GenZ Asian consumers, however,
have lost that reticence and are posting at equal or
higher rates than other groups. Ultimately, user views
increase conversions. They can eliminate any doubts
potential customer may have about a product or can
help product selection.
Marketing Implications:

8. ThinkNowResearch.com
When marketers think of who consumers are
purchasing Holiday gifts for, the prevailing assumption
is usually friends and family. Almost 20% of Asian-
Americans are putting that assumption to the test.
When asked “Which of the following groups are
on your holiday gift list this year?”, 19% of Asian
Americans selected their co-workers:
This is more than double of African-Americans at 8%
and significantly more than Whites at 13%. Hispanics
are at a close second with 16% noting co-workers on
their Holiday shopping list.
Asian-Americans
Think Outside The
“Friends/Family” Box
Insight 3
WHO BUYS HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR CO-WORKERS?

9. ThinkNowResearch.com
Asian culture is more likely to include work relationships
into social networks. As such, those relationships are
more likely to be acknowledged around the Holiday
season. This is a significant cultural finding and has
broad implication for marketers looking to target Asian-
American consumers this Holiday season. While friends
and family Holiday marketing tropes are a safe bet for
all audiences, highlighting the importance of co-worker
relationships for Asian-Americans is a way to not only
resonate with this group but also stand out from the
crowd. With the potential to reach almost 20% of Asian-
Americans during the holiday season with this message,
it may seem like stepping out on a limb but the numbers
back a safe investment.
Marketing Implications:

10. ThinkNowResearch.com
Black Friday has almost become its own Holiday
for many Americans and Asian-Americans are no
different. In fact, Asian-Americans are the most
likely consumer group to go shopping on Black Friday
this year. When asked how likely they are going to
go shopping on Black Friday this year, 67% of Asian-
Americans stated that they were very or somewhat
likely to go.
This is significantly higher than Whites at 55% and
African-Americans at 61%. Hispanics come in at a
close second with 64% stating that they are very or
somewhat likely to shop on Black Friday.
Black Friday Is Big
For Asian-Americans
Insight 4
WHO IS LIKELY TO GO SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY?
67%
64%
61%
55%

11. ThinkNowResearch.com
Additionally, when asked if they are more or less likely
to start Black Friday shopping if the sales started
on Thanksgiving, 63% stated that they would be
more likely to start their shopping if it started on
Thanksgiving. This is significantly higher than all
other groups with Whites at 42%, African-Americans
at 52% and Hispanics at 53%.
Black Fridays are typically dominated by the large
retailers and are specifically pronounced with electronic
brick and mortars. However, there is an opportunity for
smaller players and even e-commerce enabled retailers to
join in on this “holiday”. If you’re looking to capture some
of the Asian-American spend, a Black Friday type offer
would be a smart move as almost 70% of Asian-Americans
will be shopping on Black Friday this year. Moving your
Black Friday efforts to Thanksgiving will add an extra
boost as Asian-Americans are more likely to shop Black
Friday if it is offered earlier.
Marketing Implications:

12. ThinkNowResearch.com
The importance of online shopping for Asian-
Americans has been a recurring theme in this report
and this insight drives the point even further. When
asked, what are you most likely to do if you can’t find a
gift online, 10% of Asian-American consumers stated
that they will not purchase that item:
Let that sink in. This is in stark contrast to all the
other groups with only 3% of Whites stating that
they would not purchase that item, 4% of African-
Americans, and 5% of Hispanics. Asian-Americans will
move on to the next gift idea if your product or service
is not offered online.
Online Offering
Is Critical For
Asian-Americans
Insight 5
WHO WOULD NOT PURCHASE AN ITEM IF NOT OFFERED ONLINE?
10%
5% 4% 3%

13. ThinkNowResearch.com
The barrier to entry online shopping for retailers is a
thing of the past. There are so many cloud offerings to
get your products and services online that there is almost
no excuse for not having an e-commerce component to
your website. This is especially true if you’re looking to
woo Asian-American consumers because they’re the most
likely to prefer shopping online and 10% of them will move
on to the next company if you’re not offering your product
or service online.
Marketing Implications:

14. ThinkNowResearch.com
Methodology
Method
Sample Size
Screening Criteria
Quotas/Weighting
Test Area
Fieldwork Timing
Online survey via ThinkNow Research’s Omnibus Study
Total:
Hispanics:
White:
African-American:
Asian:
n = 1249
n = 502
n = 245
n = 249
n = 253
Nationwide
September, 2016
• Asian-Americans: self-identify as Asian origin
• Non-Asians: self-identify as White, African-American or Hispanic
• 18-64 years of age
• Age bracket
• Gender balance
• Region
• Primary language spoken at home (Hispanics only)
• Some light weighting applied to balance samples to U.S. Census data with respect
to age, gender and region.

15. This report only scratches the surface of all the data we
gathered. If you are looking for a specific data point,
please email info@thinknowresearch.com and we will be
happy to fulfill your request.
Mario Xavier Carrasco
Managing Partner, ThinkNow Research

16. ThinkNowResearch.com
ThinkNow Research is an award-winning culturally-
integrated market research agency. We integrate
Hispanic, African-American, and Asian insights
into custom market research for companies and
government agencies looking to thrive in a changing
demographic environment.
ThinkNow Research also owns and operates one of the
largest and most representative Hispanic online panels
in the industry, DigaYGane.com, which is used to
service our own research as well as provide sample to
the leading market research companies in the world.
Los Angeles Headquarters
2100 W. Magnolia Blvd.,
Suite A/B
Burbank, CA 91506
1-818-843-0220
info@thinknowresearch.com
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