PriceGrabber® survey predicts an increase in mobile shopping and strong online traffic for the 2012 holiday season

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With the holiday shopping season officially underway, PriceGrabber^® has released additional results of its second winter holiday shopping survey, revealing where consumers will shop for gifts this year. When asked to select the ways they will shop this season, nearly all respondents indicated that they will do some online shopping from a computer. The number of consumers who plan to visit brick-and-mortar stores dropped by 2 percentage points to 46 percent compared to last year. Additionally, the survey results indicated that 16 percent of consumers will shop using a mobile device, compared with 13 percent last year. Conducted from Sept. 14 to Sept. 27, 2012, the survey includes responses from 2,469 U.S. online shopping consumers.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121101/LA04101-INFO)

PriceGrabber's data also saw an increase in the percentage of purchases that will be made from a mobile device this holiday season compared with last year. In 2012, the average consumer will make 6 percent of their holiday purchases from a mobile phone, 62 percent online and 32 percent in brick-and-mortar stores. In 2011, the average shopper said he or she would make only 4 percent of purchases from a mobile phone, 63 percent online, and 33 percent in brick-and-mortar stores.

Consumers cite Black Friday and Cyber Monday as biggest days for mobile shopping
Of the survey respondents planning to use a mobile device to shop this holiday season, 37 percent said they plan to do the most shopping from their mobile device on Black Friday (Nov. 23). Cyber Monday (Nov. 26) followed closely with 36 percent. Eleven percent preferred the Saturday after Black Friday (Nov. 24) and 10 percent indicated Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22). Only six percent plan to shop on Sunday, Nov. 25^th from their mobile device.

Shoppers to check prices via mobile devices to save money
Our holiday survey results clearly show that consumers are increasingly relying on mobile devices to save money.  When mobile shoppers were asked to select all of the ways in which they plan to use their mobile device to save money on holiday gifts this year, 70 percent said they plan to check prices online before making an offline purchase. Sixty-six percent indicated that they plan to make purchases from their mobile device, 52 percent plan to view retailer emails containing coupons and discounts while shopping in stores and 46 percent said they will use comparison shopping applications and bar code scanners to save money. Forty-one percent noted they will have retailer coupons texted directly to their phones, 40 percent plan to check store inventory before shopping in brick-and-mortar stores and 33 percent said they will download shopping apps to earn cash, rewards and points.

"We anticipate that online and mobile shopping will continue to increase in popularity this holiday season because it allows consumers to easily compare products and read merchant reviews, as well as locate the best price on every product without having to visit each and every brick-and-mortar store," said Rojeh Avanesian, vice president of marketing and analytics of PriceGrabber.com. "Online and mobile shopping allows consumers the ability to monitor prices and to shop around the clock. Today's busy and money-conscious consumer is looking at these channels as go-to options for finding the best deals during a frenetic period like the winter holiday season."

Holiday shoppers go online instead of waiting in line
When asked to select all of the reasons why they will shop online or from a mobile device for gifts this year, 76 percent of survey respondents hope to avoid the crowds in brick-and-mortar stores. This number was closely followed by 75 percent who like to take advantage of free shipping and another 75 percent enjoy the convenience of shopping around the clock. Seventy-two percent cited the simplicity of price comparison shopping, 67 percent seek discounts and free shipping and 57 percent like to read customer reviews.

Local deal sites prove popular for holiday gift giving
Daily deal websites remain popular among consumers looking to give an experiential-type gift to loved ones this season. PriceGrabber's survey data found that 57 percent of consumers plan to use local deal sites, like PriceGrabber's, which offers deals from LivingSocial®, Restaurant.com®, Gilt City®, and more.

When asked to select all of the local deal categories they plan to search for gifts, the Shopping category dominated with 57 percent of consumers. Food and Dining followed with 52 percent, 50 percent selected Entertainment & Events, and 47 percent planning to search Family & Kids. Thirty-eight percent are planning to search Beauty & Spas, 28 percent opting for Hotels & Travel and 26 percent noted Active Life & Fitness.

To view all of PriceGrabber's 2012 holiday shopping press releases, visit:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/about.php?about=press

Infographics from PriceGrabber's Winter Holiday Shopping Surveys
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INFOGRAPHIC 3: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/holiday2_infographic1.jpg
INFOGRAPHIC 2: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/Holiday1_Infographic2.jpg
INFOGRAPHIC 1: http://i.pgcdn.com/images/infographics/Holiday1_InfoGraphic1.jpg  

For shrewd holiday shopping on any budget, visit http://www.pricegrabber.com to browse products, compare prices, read merchant reviews, find local deals, online deals, and more. Download the mobile application for smart shopping on the go. 

About PriceGrabber.com^®
PriceGrabber is a leading online shopping site with more than 23 million unique shoppers monthly. At PriceGrabber, savvy shoppers can instantly find and compare over 80 million 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, TVs, Electronics, Computers, Clothing, Books, 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.

SOURCE PriceGrabber.com