Back-to-School Shoppers Are Using Smartphones To Search For Bargains

Back-to-School Shoppers Are Changing Their Strategies for Finding the Best Deals, According to PriceGrabber Survey

Forty-six percent plan to use their smartphone to look for bargains

Los Angeles, Calif., August 19, 2013 PriceGrabber, a leading distributed ecommerce platform and shopping site just released its second 2013 Back-to-School shopping survey which offers additional insight into the ever-changing back-to-school shopper. The survey found that nearly 80 percent of respondents find the majority of information on back-to-school products and promotions from online retailer emails, websites and blog announcements. This fall, consumers will be taking advantage of some nontraditional online methods to find the hottest deals. Conducted on PriceGrabber.com from June 16 to August 5, 2013, this survey includes responses from 1,937 U.S. online shopping consumers.

Back-to-school consumers are innovative and resourceful shoppers who are helping to shape the way retailers market their products, said Sharon Banfield, director of public relations of PriceGrabber. Like clockwork every fall, parents prepare for back-to-school and savvy consumers can easily identify the best deals through online resources like PriceGrabber.

Consumers are Changing Their Shopping Strategies from Last Year

Consumers are determined to think frugally when shopping for back-to-school this year. When PriceGrabber respondents were asked to select all the ways their back-to-school shopping behavior will change compared to last year, 57 percent said they will attempt to buy more items that are on sale, while 42 percent say they will comparison shop for the best price. Shoppers are looking for deals online, as 39 percent said they will shop online more than in prior years. Another 39 percent plan to buy only the necessities; 26 percent will use more store coupons; while 19 percent said they will shop at less expensive stores. Back-to-school shoppers plan to cash in on store loyalty programs with 16 percent planning to increase their use of store or credit cards offering rewards points. Only 11 percent of consumers said they would maintain their 2012 shopping habits from last fall, leaving a majority of shoppers looking for the best budget buys.

Mobile Shopping: Consumers are Looking for Convenience

As the world of mobile shopping continues to grow, 46 percent of back-to-school shoppers said they would use their smartphone to find deals this year. When mobile shoppers were asked to select all the ways they plan to use their smartphone to save money on back-to-school items, 67 percent noted they will check prices online before making offline purchases; 47 percent will read retailer discount emails while in the store; another 47 percent will have retailer coupons directly texted to their phone; 42 percent plan to make purchases online from their mobile phone; 30 percent will use mobile apps and bar code scanners; and 29 percent will check store inventory online before shopping in-store.