AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot
(www.retailmenot.com), the largest digital offers destination in
the United States, has released
the fifth annual holiday edition of the company's Shoppers Trend
Report indicating that shoppers are starting their holiday planning
earlier and not waiting for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to make
all their purchases.
Perception vs. Reality
"Consumers in record numbers
are questioning the value of offers on Black Friday," said Trae
Bodge, senior lifestyle editor at RetailMeNot, Inc. "And while this
perception appears to be driven by media speculation, it serves as
a catalyst for many shoppers to begin preparing and shopping for
the holiday season as soon as Labor
Day. While early-bird behavior is beneficial for the
strategic buyer, RetailMeNot's offer data still suggests that deals
during the five days of savings from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday are stronger on a
percent-off basis than in prior weeks."
According to a survey conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of
RetailMeNot, consumers said the following regarding their early
shopping patterns:
- Only 10% of consumers surveyed believe that Black Friday
savings are worth the wait.
- 85% of shoppers expect retailer holiday promotions to begin
prior to Black Friday, with more than half (54%) saying they expect
to see these offers in the marketplace prior to October.
- 51% of consumers said they take advantage of deals throughout
the year regardless of major holiday sales.
- 45% of shoppers are always in deal-hunting mode.
Game Plan: Pre-Holiday Planning and Prep
"Having a
strategy is key," said Bodge. "Savvy shoppers are preparing their
gift lists, considering budgets and downloading shopping apps that
make deal-hunting easier. Additionally, savvy consumers know that
discounts are to be had in certain early holiday retail categories
like toys, home decor and apparel."
Consumers should reconsider making all purchasing decisions at
one time because category deals tend to ebb and flow:
- A holiday traveler looking to plan a winter getaway in advance
of the season can find an average discount of 33% off during the
month of October, based on the average savings experienced by
RetailMeNot users during the same period in 2014.
- Electronics and computers hit their peak from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday and then into
the first week of December, with an average discount ranging from
38 to 40 percent off, according to RetailMeNot data.
- In late-period shopping, that is, post-Cyber Monday through the
end of the year, items like discounted gift cards represent
tremendous savings opportunities. In what we call the triple play
of savings, consumers can purchase discounted gift cards, apply
coupons to that purchase and then use a cash-back credit card to
extend their savings even further.
What Drives Shoppers to Spend?
According to survey
data, shopping in-store will continue to be popular. In fact, 88%
of consumers confirmed that they're looking for motivation to enter
a mall or store this holiday season.
The survey also reports what types of promotions are most
attractive to shoppers. Monetary rebates were the most
appealing.
- 44% of shoppers surveyed would be motivated to shop in-store if
they could get money back on their purchase.
- Holiday sales would prompt 37% of consumers to shop in stores;
while exclusive flash-sale deals (31%) and door-buster offers (27%)
would get the rest through the door.
- 24% said gift-wrapping services encourages them to shop in
stores.
- 16% of shoppers said that good holiday music encourages them to
enter a store to shop!
Celebs to Shop With
And in the "Why Not?" category,
RetailMeNot asked consumers who they thought would be the best
celebrity deal hunter to go shopping with this holiday season.
Kelly Ripa topped our list of
nominees!
- Nearly 3 in 10 consumers (28%) believe that Ripa would help
them find the best deals.
- Following Ripa were Kate
Gosselin (13%), Sarah Jessica
Parker (12%) and tied for third place was Kristen Bell (9%) and Lady Gaga (9%).
Report Methodology
The RetailMeNot surveys were
conducted by Kelton Global between September 2 and
September 8, 2015, among 1,028 U.S.
residents ages 18 and over, using an e-mail invitation and an
online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate
representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The
magnitude of the variation is measurable and affected by the number
of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the
results. In these particular studies, the chances are 95 in 100
that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1
and 3 percentage points, respectively, from the result that would
be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in
the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any
subgroups will be slightly higher.
About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc.
(http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest
marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers
across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers
for their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months
ended June 30, 2015, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced over 730
million visits to its websites, and during the three months
ended June 30, 2015, RetailMeNot, Inc. averaged 18.4 million
mobile unique visitors per month. In 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc.
estimates $4.4 billion in paid retailer sales were
attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its
marketplace. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes
RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace
in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada;
VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offers marketplace in
the United Kingdom; deals.com in Germany; Actiepagina.nl,
a leading digital offers site in the Netherlands;
ma-deduc.com, a leading digital offers site in France;
Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offers site with cash back
in France; and Deals2Buy.com, a digital offers site
in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ
stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested
in learning more about the company can
visit http://investor.retailmenot.com. Be sure to "like"
RetailMeNot, Inc. on Facebook and follow the company
via Twitter @retailmenotinc.
Media Contacts:
RetailMeNot PR Department
media@rmn.com
+1 512 777 2957
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SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.