Entertainment.com Predicts Holiday Sales Fueled by Appetite for Discounts

Special offers driving retail traffic, early shopping trends and Cyber Monday mania

DETROIT, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Entertainment Publications LLC, http://www.entertainment.com, reports that discounts, promotions and special offers by retailers and other merchants are a driving force behind holiday retail sales for 2009.

In preparation for the holiday, Entertainment has seen a 30 percent increase in consumers clicking through discounts and printing coupons through Entertainment.com. Additionally, there are more offers available with retail offers increasing nearly 10 percent. Entertainment has seen a 31 percent increase in offers from its retail and online partners with more consumers (21 percent) registering for discounts.

According to Entertainment's most recent poll, 65 percent of respondents have completed holiday shopping or have started in the past few weeks.

"Shoppers are planning ahead and exploring all options to get the most value from every dollar," said MaryAnn Rivers, CEO of Entertainment Publications. "Online plays an increasingly important role in bringing shopping, convenience and discounts to consumers. Entertainment.com offers the majority of retailers, restaurants and entertainment choices in a single location."

For holiday gift giving, consumers have an increased interest in both gift cards and gifts that give back, like the discount-rich Entertainment membership book. Gifts cards are on track to be the No. 1 sought after item this year, with interest jumping more than 61 percent, according to statistics from Entertainment.com.

In addition, sales of the 2010 Entertainment membership book continue at a strong pace following the fundraising season, with in-store sales starting to ramp up. Seven new national retailers are carrying the Entertainment book this holiday season, increasing availability of the most sought-after discount book available. Consumers who may have missed an organization's fundraiser or don't have children in school still have many opportunities to purchase their copy of the nation's largest coupon book to either keep for themselves or give to a relative or friend that appreciates value this holiday.

Retailers carrying the Entertainment book include:

ACE Hardware*
Barnes & Noble*
Bed Bath & Beyond*
Blockbuster *
Borders and Borders Calendar Stores*
Costco*
CVS Corporation*
Food Lion*
Harmon
Kmart*
Kroger*
Menards
Staples
Tops Markets
Waldenbooks
Walgreens

Entertainment membership books come with online access to Entertainment.com, which is continuously updated with national and local offers and coupons, offering book owners an ever-increasing range of discounts.

Exclusive discounts also will be available for Cyber Monday. Entertainment.com, flooded with special discounts for its members, is creating its first-ever Cyber Monday deals page to complement its ever-popular Cyber Monday email alert. With the number of deals up 121 percent from last year from a variety of retailers, some of the most popular offers include site-wide discounts in shoes, sporting goods and health and beauty.

"Savvy consumers know that free shipping usually can be found online and are instead searching for free shipping plus a discount offer," Rivers said. "Cyber Monday is increasingly important to retailers that are looking to take full advantage of the online shopping season by reaching consumers where they prefer to shop."

Some of the offers by major retailers for Cyber Monday on Entertainment.com include:

• Free shipping and free returns from Meijer.com, in addition to free gift cards with purchase
• 25 percent off site-wide at CrayolaStore.com
• 20 percent off site-wide and free shipping on all orders at ShoeMall.com

Following the heels of Cyber Monday, Entertainment.com and its retail partners are launching the 12 days of Christmas, with five new offers available every day from Dec. 1-12. Deals will include free shipping, percent off and other discounts.

About Entertainment Publications, LLC

Entertainment Publications, LLC, http://www.entertainment.com, is the leading provider of the most recognized and sought-after customer discounts and promotions products in the communities Entertainment serves. Founded nearly 50 years ago in Detroit and originally available exclusively through fundraisers, Entertainment Publications distributes a diverse and strong suite of products, including The Entertainment membership book, online member sites like entertainment.com, Entertainment business network, Sally Foster® giftwrap and gift products, and a line of cookie doughs and other gourmet edibles. Annually, Entertainment Publications generates over $6.5 billion in revenue for its more than 55,000 local and national business partners representing 175,000 merchant locations throughout North America. Each year, the company raises more than $70 million for the charities it serves. Entertainment Publications is a privately held company, acquired in June 2008 by MH Equity Investors, a subsidiary of MHE Private Equity Fund, LLC.

*available in select locations

New retailers in BOLD

PR Contact:
Megan Soule
Airfoil PR for Entertainment Publications
soule@airfoilpr.com
248-304-1428

SOURCE Entertainment Publications, LLC

RELATED LINKS
http://www.entertainment.com