Consumer Spending Survey Finds Consumers Plan to Spend Less on Big-Ticket White Goods and Home Electrical Purchases in the Next Six Months

LONDON, Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceGrabber.co.uk®, a part of Experian, has just released the results of its 2010 Consumer Spending Survey (Aug. 4, 2010 to Sept. 21, 2010; 1,035 respondents). Survey data reveals the recession has caused consumers to spend less overall, but spend more time shopping online. Additionally, in the next six months consumers are planning to reduce their big-ticket purchases for white goods, electronics and furnishings.

Consumers spend more time online performing shopping-related activities, as compared to before the recession (December 2007)

• Fifty-three percent of consumers revealed they have been spending more time comparing prices online compared to before the recession (December 2007)
• Fifty percent of consumers have been spending more time shopping online compared to before the recession (December 2007)
• Twenty-eight percent of consumers have been spending more time online searching for coupons, as compared to before the recession (December 2007)

Consumers are spending less versus two years ago

• Fifty-one percent of consumers indicate they are spending less overall than at the start of the recession (December 2007)
• Eight percent of consumers revealed they are spending more than at the start of the recession (December 2007)
• Forty-one percent of consumers are spending the same amount overall when compared to the start of the recession (December 2007)

Consumers plan to reduce big-ticket spending for the home in the next six months

• Fifty-two percent of consumers revealed they are not planning to make big-ticket purchases (white goods, electronics and furnishings) in the next six months because they are focused on saving
• Twenty percent of consumers plan to purchase a big-ticket electronic item in the next six months, as compared with the 43 percent of consumers who have already purchased a big-ticket electronic item in 2010
• Fourteen percent of consumers plan to make a big-ticket home improvement purchase in the next six months, as compared to the 19 percent of consumers who have made a purchase in 2010

"Survey results reveal that the recession has caused consumers to shift their shopping patterns online," stated Justin Sedgmond, business director at PriceGrabber.co.uk.  "While consumers are planning to reduce their big ticket spending in the next six months for white goods, electronics and furnishings, we expect them to continue to spend time online searching for coupons and comparing prices for small ticket purchases."

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About PriceGrabber.co.uk®

PriceGrabber.co.uk, a part of Experian, is a leading online shopping site where savvy shoppers can instantly find and compare millions of unique products and services across 20 categories with thousands of 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.co.uk provides shoppers with the right product from the right merchant at the best price anytime, anywhere. Visit us at http://www.pricegrabber.co.uk.

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.

The statistics in this release are sourced from an online survey conducted between Aug. 4 and Sept. 21, 2010 with 1,035 U.K. online consumers who recently made an online purchase through PriceGrabber.co.uk from a retail partner or seller listed on the site. The demographic variables collected include: age, gender, region, employment and estimated annual household income. The maximum sampling error for the survey data is +/− 3.05 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

SOURCE PriceGrabber.co.uk