NEW SHOPADVISOR DATA: DECEMBER 18 REIGNS SUPREME FOR SAVINGS IN-STORE AND ONLINE

NEW SHOPADVISOR DATA: BLACK FRIDAY DEALS A FAR CRY FROM SEASON’S BEST; DECEMBER 18 REIGNS SUPREME FOR SAVINGS IN-STORE AND ONLINE

BOSTON, November 12 – Procrastination may be just the prescription for those seeking the hottest holiday deals, according to new findings today from ShopAdvisor, which today revealed December 18 as last year’s best day to snag low prices in-store and online.  The virtuousness of patience was further borne out by data showing last year’s post-Black Friday discounts reaching double digits, even for some of the most coveted brands, outpacing Black Friday’s reductions of just a percentage point or two for the 6,000 items ShopAdvisor tracked in-store and online.

Surprisingly, 42 percent of the products tracked by ShopAdvisor were actually priced higher on Black Friday than in the four weeks leading up to it.  And as for luxury goods deals, the wait was endless, as ShopAdvisor found highest-end merchandize having gone undiscounted from November through January.

ShopAdvisor analyzed the 2013 lowest available prices for 6,000 products across all major categories that its app and website users were actively shopping for.  The pricing data came from 16,000 real-time data feeds from individual retailers and affiliates, including the nation’s big box, department store and online retail leaders.  

Among other noteworthy ShopAdvisor findings:

·         The average discount was 17.5 percent on December 18 versus less than 5 percent on Black Friday

·         Discounts were 30 percent deeper weekdays than on weekends from after Black Friday through the holiday shopping period

·         While discounts continued from December 26 through New Year’s Day, the deals were not as strong as those offered on December 18

Longer Waits, Better Deals: The New Norm?

ShopAdvisor’s unmasking of December 18 as last year’s best holiday deal day in-store and online stands in marked contrast to 2012, when December 1 reigned supreme, per similar company data.  “The question becomes, are retailers planning to backload deals again this year?  Now is too early to tell, but the perception of a stronger economy may embolden them to behave that way,” said Scott Cooper, CEO, ShopAdvisor.  “What is now clear, if it wasn’t already, is that Black Friday is more about sport than savings – consumers competing for real deals on just a handful of limited quantity doorbusters, not widespread season’s-best pricing.”

Cooper said aggregated data from ShopAdvisor users actively seeking discounts on desired products this holiday season show electronics again topping lists. The top five most watched categories as of this week: (1) TVs, tablets and computers; (2) health and beauty; (3) appliances; (4) cameras; (5) video games.

About ShopAdvisor

ShopAdvisor lets consumers shop smarter in-store and online by providing up-to-date pricing and retailer availability for over 200 million products.  Shoppers can save items they’re interested in to a Watch List and be alerted when the time to buy is right, saving time and money, and link to the lowest price merchant to buy instantly. ShopAdvisor also works with magazines including Cosmopolitan, House Beautiful, Cooking Light and Real Simple to allow shoppers to shop directly for the products and gift ideas featured in the magazine. 

Consumers can download the ShopAdvisor mobile app for their iOS or Androiddevice, or go to ShopAdvisor.com. The app and web site are free. ShopAdvisor has been recognized as one of the best 100 Android apps by PC Magazine and an “App Store Rewind Best Utility App” for the iPhone.

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For additional data and insights, contact Caitlin Melnick, cmelnick@360PR.com, 617-585-5775, or Jenny Krupski, jkrupski@360PR.com, 617-585-5762.