Black Friday Survey Data: Shoppers Believe Black Friday is More Than Just Hype

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceGrabber®, a part of Experian, conducted a Black Friday Shopping survey between Sept. 14, 2010, and Oct. 6, 2010. PriceGrabber's survey data, consisting of 1,839 U.S. online consumers planning to spend this holiday season, reveals that holiday shoppers perceive that retailers offer their best deals during Thanksgiving weekend (Black Friday, Nov. 26, through Cyber Monday, Nov. 29). Survey data also indicated that deals are the biggest motivator for consumers when it comes to Black Friday shopping and that mobile shopping will be a popular shopping method for many consumers on Black Friday.

Consumers perceive the best deals to be on Black Friday

Black Friday is one of the biggest and most anticipated shopping days of the year. Each year, many skeptics voice concerns regarding whether Black Friday is really filled with great deals or just marketing hype. PriceGrabber asked its online shoppers if they thought retailers offered better deals during Thanksgiving weekend, as compared to the rest of the holiday season. Sixty-one percent of consumers said they believe Thanksgiving weekend has the best shopping deals compared with the rest of the holiday season. Of this 61 percent, 86 percent believe the best deals are found on Black Friday. Cyber Monday came in a distant second, with 33 percent, followed by the Saturday after Black Friday with 17 percent.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw in the most shoppers Thanksgiving weekend

Consumers not only think Black Friday has the best deals, but they also plan to put their beliefs into action and shop on Black Friday. This year, 68 percent of consumers plan to make purchases over Thanksgiving weekend. Furthermore, 43 percent will shop on Black Friday. Thirty-seven percent plan to shop on Cyber Monday, and 25 percent plan to shop on the Saturday after Black Friday.

Consumers shop on Black Friday to get the best prices and spend time with family and friends

Black Friday is clearly the most popular day to shop during Thanksgiving weekend. When the 43 percent of consumers planning to shop on Black Friday were asked why they were doing so, 56 percent cited getting the best prices as one of the reasons. Twenty-seven percent said that Black Friday shopping is a tradition with family and friends and this is another reason they shop on Black Friday.

Black Friday expected to lead in mobile shopping purchases

This year, consumers will find new ways to shop other than the traditional trip to brick-and-mortar stores or going online from their computers.  Survey data reveals that 36 percent of consumers plan to use their mobile phones for shopping-related activities this holiday season. Of this 36 percent, 32 percent plan to shop from their mobile phones on Black Friday. Sixteen percent plan to shop from their mobile phones on Cyber Monday, and 10 percent will shop from their mobiles on Thanksgiving Day.

"Mobile phones will play a vital role in Black Friday shopping this year. We expect to see consumers comparing prices, searching for coupons and making purchases from their mobile phones while shopping from their homes and in brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday," stated Laura Conrad, president of PriceGrabber. "We also expect to see shoppers arm themselves for Black Friday shopping with comparison shopping applications, like the PriceGrabber apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android.  The most successful Black Friday retailers will be those that demonstrate the most value to consumers, not just in their own store but when compared with other brick-and-mortar and online retailers."

Consumer electronics, books and clothing are expected to be the most popular mobile purchases this holiday season

While many consumers are planning to shop from a mobile phone on Black Friday, survey respondents also were asked what they plan to purchase this holiday season from their mobile devices. Of the 36 percent of shoppers who plan to shop from their mobiles this holiday season, 28 percent revealed they plan to purchase phone content such as ringtones, apps, music and video clips with their mobile phones. Twenty-four percent of consumers plan to purchase clothing and 23 percent plan to purchase books from a mobile phone.  Computers, laptops and other related equipment will be purchased from mobile phones by 21 percent of shoppers, while 23 percent of respondents plan to purchase consumer electronics other than computers.

To see PriceGrabber's holiday shopping consumer behavior reports, please visit http://www.pricegrabber.com/about.php?about=press&sub_opt=15.

To view all of PriceGrabber's holiday shopping press releases, please visit http://www.pricegrabber.com/about.php?about=press&sub_opt=11&year_opt=12.

To see Experian's Holiday Marketer report, please visit http://www.experian.com/marketing-services/register-2010-holiday-marketer.html.

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 90 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 March 31, 2010, was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 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.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE PriceGrabber.com