Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Early birds grab the goods
North America | Retail
December 8, 2021 – American consumers are shopping earlier for the holidays this year. While some consumers are looking to do “something fun right now,” the majority of consumers are worried about availability, shipping delays, and unexpected challenges from COVID-19.
To read the article, see “US holiday shopping 2021: Strong demand meets big challenges,” November 2, 2021.
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Visual form
Row of dot-matrix comparison charts.
Layout / body structure
The chart is a single horizontal row of five 100-dot circles divided into two labeled groups: three under Concerns and two under Excitement. Reader moves left to right through the reasons for shopping early and compares the amount of filled dots plus the large percentage printed under each circle.
What is being compared
The chart compares consumers’ reasons for starting holiday shopping earlier in 2021. It separates concern-based reasons such as product availability, shipping lead time, and unexpected COVID-19 challenges from excitement-driven reasons centered on wanting to do something fun.
Measurement system
Each circle represents percent of respondents, with filled dots indicating the share naming that reason. The five printed values are 51, 45, 44, 29, and 38 percent, and the footnote clarifies that the measures come from the subgroup of consumers who said they planned to shop earlier that year.
Visible structure inside the graphic
The first three circles are colored blue and sit under the Concerns heading, while the last two circles are dark and sit under Excitement. Each dot matrix is captioned directly beneath its percentage, making the row read like a ranked strip of motivations rather than a time series or axis-based chart.
Main takeaway from the visual
Practical concerns about availability and delivery dominate the decision to shop earlier, while excitement is a secondary motive. The concern circles are both more numerous and more heavily filled than the excitement circles, so the visual clearly prioritizes supply and COVID-related pressure over holiday enthusiasm.
Key standout values or extremes
The highest share is concern about availability at 51 percent, followed by shipping lead time at 45 percent and unexpected challenges from COVID-19 at 44 percent. On the excitement side, 29 percent say they just want to do something fun right now, and 38 percent of high-income and millennial consumers say they want to do something fun right now.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.