Fifty-nine Percent of Consumers Use Daily Deal Websites for Holiday or Special Occasion Gifts, According to PriceGrabber® Survey

LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceGrabber®, a part of Experian, has released additional results from its recent Local Deals Survey, revealing that shoppers will largely be looking to daily deal Websites when shopping for gifts during the 2011 holiday season. According to the results, 59 percent of respondents are planning to use these Websites for holiday or special occasion gift purchases. When those respondents were asked to select all of the holidays and special occasions they plan to purchase a gift for using a daily deal Website, 60 percent said Christmas or Hanukkah, 56 percent indicated a birthday, and 23 percent plan to purchase an anniversary gift. The survey includes responses from 2,088 U.S. online consumers and was conducted from May 20 to 25, 2011.

Food and dining ranks as number one category for daily deal shoppers

Instead of receiving yet another festive sweater, consumers can expect a chance to tap into their inner foodie this holiday season. When respondents were asked to select all of the categories they search for local deals, 45 percent said the food and dining category; shopping came in a close second, at 40 percent. In addition, 31 percent of respondents said they search the entertainment and events category, and 25 percent search for hotels and travel-related deals.

"The emerging popularity of the experiential gift — such as eating in a restaurant one might not otherwise be able to afford — largely ties into the joy consumers seem to find in sharing discounts with others through the new trend of social buying," commented Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber. "PriceGrabber recently found that 86 percent of shoppers said they share the great deals they find with family and friends. Given that the holidays are a time to reconnect with loved ones, we anticipate that fine-dining experiences will continue to be high on wish lists come December."

Consumers shop for deals often and quickly

The American addiction to frequent daily deal shopping has become considerable in the few years since the industry emerged. PriceGrabber survey results found that 31 percent of consumers purchase one to four deals per month, and 15 percent buy one or more deals per week. However, according to the study, although shoppers buy deals often, they can't be bothered to spend all day browsing. An overwhelming 63 percent of respondents indicated that they spend less than 30 minutes a day sifting through local deal sites.

"PriceGrabber found that a sizable amount of consumers are shopping for daily deals frequently, and this number is likely to grow as we approach the holiday season," said Jones. "When the shopping season is fully under way, streamlining the search process will be crucial. PriceGrabber recently launched its local deal category at deals.pricegrabber.com, a one-stop shop for consumers who want to browse thousands of deals from more than 20 local deal Websites and receive only one email per day. We've created a time- and money-saving solution that we are confident will help busy shoppers."

Shoppers are realistic about saving

Daily deal sites boast big discounts, but consumers generally have become realistic in their expectations of how much they will save when purchasing a local deal. According to PriceGrabber, 37 percent of respondents indicated that they do not have a specific savings requirement for purchasing a deal, 25 percent said they require saving 25 percent to 49 percent, 19 percent expect a 50 percent to 75 percent discount, and 16 percent hope to save 15 percent to 24 percent. Only 2 percent of shoppers said they require saving more than 75 percent.

"Consumers are demonstrating a healthy attitude when it comes to their expectations about daily deals," Jones added. "In the wake of the economic crisis, shoppers are becoming increasingly savvy — they are looking to local deal sites to save money, but they aren't expecting outlandish discounts to transport them to their prerecession lifestyles. This realistic attitude is promising for the longevity of the industry, and we expect that it will drive the types of purchases shoppers will make during the 2011 holiday season."

About PriceGrabber.com®

PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, is a leading online shopping site with more than 23 million unique shoppers monthly. At PriceGrabber, savvy shoppers can instantly find and compare millions of unique products and services across 25 categories with more than 11,000 merchants. Compare products side by side to find the right retailers at the best prices within popular categories, such as Digital Cameras, Electronics, Computers, Clothing, Books, TVs and more. PriceGrabber provides shoppers with the right product from the right merchant at the best price anytime, anywhere. Visit us at http://www.pricegrabber.com.

About Experian

Experian® is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March, 2011, was US$4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

SOURCE PriceGrabber.com