55% of Holiday Shoppers Will Check Amazon First for Best Price

Retail

Published: November 15, 2017 12:45 pm

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 6:17 am

Holiday shoppers have become so used to low prices that it almost seems as if that’s really just the price retailers have to pay for a seat at the table. Perched smugly at the head of the table is Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), where some 55% of U.S. shoppers go first either to look at or buy an item.

Interestingly, only 30% of consumers included in a recent survey said that they base their decision primarily on price. Far more (46%) said their purchase decisions are driven by the quality of the product.

Consumer website Offers.com commissioned an Ipsos survey of 1,005 U.S. adults over the age of 18, and partner BlackFriday.com conducted a Google Survey. Full methodology is available at the Offers.com website.

Offers.com General Manager Howard Schaffer said:

With online retailers undercutting brick-and-mortar retailers (and the obvious convenience factor), online shopping is becoming increasingly compelling for shoppers. With the convenience of online shopping, shoppers are able to purchase just about anything they can imagine from the comfort of their own home and score the same deals or even better as they would in-store. Our data also shows some interesting trends when it comes to shopping both online and on mobile this holiday season.

Online shoppers like the convenience, but they also like the perks: 38% say they plan to take advantage of free shipping and 19% say they’ll take advantage of price-matching offers.

Nearly all (95%) of millennials (ages 18 to 34) plan to use a mobile device while shopping this year, and this age group is 20% more likely to shop on Cyber Monday than on Black Friday. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of all shoppers plan to use a mobile device to help with their shopping chores this year.

Offers.com notes, as well, that with online retailers undercutting brick-and-mortar retailers on price — in addition to the obvious convenience factor — online shopping is becoming increasingly compelling for shoppers. Holiday-shopping aside, the overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (96%) shop online throughout the year. The majority (64%) do so at least monthly, up from 57% in 2016.

Stores such as Target, Walmart and Kohl’s are expected to be the busiest during the season. Year after year, these retailers have shown major discounts on the top items consumers are looking for, such as clothing, electronics, gift cards and toys. Amazon’s popularity, however, threatens store traffic, and Amazon’s pricing model leaves little margin on the table.

According to Offers.com, the top retailers this holiday season based on the percentage of consumers who plan to shop there are: