Holiday shoppers believe that the best deals are available the weekend after Thanksgiving, typically the biggest shopping period of the year beginning on Black Friday and continuing on through to Cyber Monday.
While consumers remain relatively optimistic about better deals, many may grab better deals with the use of loyalty programs and rewards.
In a survey by PriceGrabber, the online internet shopping comparison and coupon site, also found that finding good bargains are the biggest reasons consumers shop of Black Friday and that many will be using their mobile phones to shop this year.
Every year as Black Friday approaches, news reports will attempt to investigate whether there really are good deals to be found on the biggest shopping day of the year or if it is all just hype. PriceGrabber’s survey of 1,839 online shoppers found that 61 percent believed retailers offered better deals on Thanksgiving weekend then they did during later parts of the holiday shopping season. Of that 61 percent, 86 percent said hey felt the best deals were found on Black Friday. A distant second was Cyber Monday, with 33 percent. The Saturday after Black Friday offered the best deals, according to 17 percent of the survey’s participants.
Many believe that Black Friday brings the best deals and will translate into shoppers coming in to the stores during the days after Thanksgiving this year. Of the people surveyed, 68 percent said they planned to shop over the Thanksgiving weekend. Forty-three percent said they planned to shop on Black Friday, which 37 percent said they expect to do some shopping on Cyber Monday and 25 percent said they will shop the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The survey also found that 36 percent of consumers planned to use their cell phone for shopping-related task while searching for holiday gifts this year.
Spending during this holiday season is expected to rise only 0.9% with the average adult spending $480 on decorations and gifts from Black Friday to Christmas. While social and mobile marketing has played an important role in launching deals, loyalty programs see increased popularity of about a 10 to 1 margin in comparison.