AUSTIN, TX—(Marketwired – November 06, 2015) – Nearly eight in ten (78%) online shoppers plan to search online for deals, coupon codes or sales before making a purchase this Christmas season, according to a new survey conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs on behalf of Offers.com. Holiday shoppers plan on taking advantage of sales leading up to the major shopping holidays, with 21% saying they plan on getting their holiday shopping started in early November. Savvy consumers will be looking for deals online and on their mobile phones before purchasing gifts to seize holiday deals, online coupons and sales.
“This year online shopping will be the biggest year ever when it comes to consumers purchasing their gifts online,” said Offers.com Vice President Howard Schaffer. “Based on our data, consumers will be taking advantage of sales early online and enjoying their holidays from the comfort of their home instead of heading to the stores.”
Timing of Holiday Shopping
Nearly half of all Americans surveyed don't waste any time when it comes to getting their holiday shopping started.
A quarter of consumers have already started (25%), and one in five plan to start their holiday shopping early in November (21%).
Shopping online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday is also up (19% vs. 12%, 2014).
Thanksgiving Day Shopping Trends
With more stores offering major deals online on Thanksgiving, our data shows consumers are choosing to shop from the comfort of their homes on Thanksgiving Day compared to 2014 (20% vs. 16%).
A modest majority of consumers (51%) are gradually showing preference to shopping on turkey day this year compared to 2014 (48%).
Only one in ten say that they plan to shop primarily in stores (13%), while approximately one in five see themselves shopping both online and in stores (18%).
Black Friday Shopping Trends
A slightly larger proportion of consumers (55%) plan to shop on Black Friday this year compared to 2014 (53%), with the majority of consumers planning to shop online.
Online shopping remains the trend, with slightly more than one in five saying that they plan to shop primarily online (22%), while only (16%) plan to shop in stores, or again both in stores and online (17%).
Cyber Monday Shopping Trends
Trended data suggests Cyber Monday online shopping will be significant (15%) compared to 2014.
Up 15% from last year, a majority of Americans surveyed say that they plan to shop online this year on Cyber Monday (54%): a market trend that is up considerably from 2014 (47%).
Millennials are among those leading this trend, with 73% of those aged 18 to 34 saying that they plan to shop online on this day in particular, marking a significant increase when compared to 59% of Millennials who said the same in 2014.
Mobile Shopping Trends
Compared to last year's results, consumers are much more likely to use their mobile devices to search for deals and coupon codes to make purchases; a market trend that is up 27% year over year.
This year, 56% of people surveyed plan on using their mobile devices compared to 44% in 2014.
More than one–third (36%) of Americans will use their mobile phones to look for coupons and deals when holiday shopping, as well as compare products at different stores (36%).
Another 33% will check out product reviews, while three in ten say they will use their smartphones to actually make purchases (29%).
Millennials continue to stand out here, identifying as the most likely demographic to use their mobile device when shopping this holiday season (84%, ages 18–34 vs. 29%, 55+).
Holiday Spending
When asked how much consumers plan on spending this holiday season, budgets will be increasing compared to last year.
This year more consumers (12%) will be spending over $600 on gifts for friends and family compared to 2014.
Just more than two in five (43%) are setting their limit at $400 — including one in five (20%), who say they plan to spend under $200 and a similar proportion who say their budget will fall between $201 and $400 (23%).
Holiday Gift Purchasing Trends
When asked which holiday gift items respondents are most looking for deals on, a majority mention electronics, such as TVs, tablets and other gadgets (53%), while nearly as many say that they are most interested in deals on clothing (49%).
About a third mention searching mostly for deals on toys (32%), while about a quarter say they'll be focusing more on holiday items such as appliances (26%, kitchen items, outdoor items and other home items) or books and audio (26%). Americans are not as likely to say that they are looking primarily for jewelry deals (21%).
To find the best online coupons, deals and sales, visit the Offers.com 2015 Holiday Savings Centers:
Thanksgiving
Black Friday
Cyber Monday
Christmas
About Offers.com
Offers.com is a leading online destination for consumers to save time and money. Each day we serve up the top coupon codes, product deals, and other offers from more than 9,000 stores and brands. Offers.com has about 90,000 of the best offers in 350 categories, including clothing, electronics, household goods, and credit cards. Offers are verified and updated daily by the Offers.com deal experts. The company, founded in 2009, is based in Austin, Texas.
About the Survey
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Offers.com from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25, 2015. For the survey, a national sample of 1,006 adults from Ipsos' U.S. online panel was interviewed online, in English. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for all respondents (see link below for more info on Ipsos online polling “Credibility Intervals”). For more information about Ipsos online polling methodology, please go here http://goo.gl/yJBkuf