VENICE, CA — (Marketwired) — 01/28/15 — According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales increased 4 percent in 2014. While consumers may be spending more, they–re also focused on saving more. In fact, one-third of holiday shoppers say they used coupons when shopping online this season, a 45 percent increase over last year, according to a new study from , a platform that helps consumers shop more intelligently. Forty percent of shoppers surveyed say they did most or all of their holiday shopping online and more than half say they stayed within budget or spent less this holiday season than they had planned.
“Today–s consumers have really evolved into savvy shoppers,” said Phong Vu, CEO of DealScience.com “They pride themselves on getting the best deals and therefore are focused more on getting an item for a good price as opposed to finishing their holiday to-do list. That–s why DealScience.com is committed to making it easier, faster and more efficient for shoppers to find the best deals, and also predict when the next opportunity to save is likely to happen.”
The DealScience.com poll found fewer than half of holiday shoppers were not likely to purchase an item if they couldn–t find a deal for it. Four in 10 shoppers say they found deals based on advertisements from retailers, while nearly a quarter reported getting the best deals using coupon and deal websites. That said it–s not always easy for consumers to find those savings. In fact, 35 percent of shoppers said they would rather give up caffeine for a week than spend the time researching where and when to get the best deals, while one in four say they would give up alcohol for the holiday season instead of searching for savings.
In addition to polling shoppers, DealScience.com evaluated its deal data and analyzed what actually happened for this season in savings:
Toys are always discounted, especially as the holidays approach. In fact, DealScience.com data shows there were deep deals for Barbie and related products. However, anything from Disney–s Frozen collection rarely went on sale during the holiday season.
The most discounting happened on high-end performance bikes that retail for upwards of $2,000 — changes in technologies and components in the new models tend to matter more, so older versions proved to be an opportunity to save.
The technology in most shoes doesn–t change significantly year to year, so while there were a lot of deals on 2014 running shoes, most didn–t start until December. That said, they did accelerate as the end of the year approached. Nike.com, for example had up to 50 percent markdowns plus a 25 percent off code for clearance items. Something to keep in mind for next year, since it–s a great way to jump-start New Year–s resolutions.
PlayStation4 deals reached $329 (briefly) to match what Xbox was offering, but ongoing discounting on the Xbox One was more consistent than the PlayStation. DealScience.com noted Xbox pricing in the $329-$349 range — down from its original price of $399.99.
DealScience.com tracks over 13-thousand stores and has developed nearly 40-thousand store-specific shopping tips to help users save. For more insights on where and when to save, visit the , a real-time ranking of nearly 500 brands, from big box retailers to popular online boutiques and serves as a historical and current baseline of ongoing deal activity.
DealScience.com conducted the online survey of 501 consumers between January 6, 2015 and January 7, 2015. For the full study, contact .
DealScience.com helps consumers shop more intelligently by predicting where and when the best deals are likely to happen. Using historical data and cutting-edge shopping intel, DealScience.com delivers the best insight about current and future offers to help consumers make better purchase decisions today and know how to save more tomorrow.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Aimee Eichelberger
Superior Public Relations
Aimee (at) superior-pr (dot) com
312.952.1528
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