According to a Local Deals Survey from PriceGrabber, 59 percent of respondents were planning to use daily deal websites for holiday or special occasion gift purchases.
When asked to select all of the holidays and special occasions they plan to purchase a gift for using a daily deal website, 60 percent said Christmas or Hanukkah, 56 percent indicated a birthday, and 23 percent plan to purchase an anniversary gift. The survey of 2,088 U.S. online consumers was conducted from May 20 to 25.
PriceGrabber assumed the daily deal popularity may work out well for gift-getting foodies. Asked to select all of the categories in which they search for local deals, 45 percent cited the food and dining category, with shopping a close second, at 40. Thirty-one percent indicated entertainment and events, and 25 percent search for hotels and travel-related deals.
"The emerging popularity of the experiential gift -- such as eating in a restaurant one might not otherwise be able to afford -- largely ties into the joy consumers seem to find in sharing discounts with others through the new trend of social buying," said Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber, in a statement. "Given that the holidays are a time to reconnect with loved ones, we anticipate that fine-dining experiences will continue to be high on wish lists come December."
The survey also found that consumers have become more realistic around the discounts expected from daily deal sites. According to the survey, 37 percent of respondents indicated that they do not have a specific savings requirement for purchasing a deal; 25 percent said they require saving 25 percent to 49 percent; 19 percent expect a 50 percent to 75 percent discount; and 16 percent hope for 15 percent to 24 percent. Only 2 percent demand more than 75 percent.
"Consumers are demonstrating a healthy attitude when it comes to their expectations about daily deals," Mr. Jones added. "In the wake of the economic crisis, shoppers are becoming increasingly savvy -- they are looking to local deal sites to save money, but they aren't expecting outlandish discounts to transport them to their prerecession lifestyles."
Other findings from the survey:
- Eighty-six percent of shoppers said they share the great deals they find with friends;
- Thirty-one percent of consumers purchase one to four deals per month, and 15 percent buy one or more deals per week;
- Sixty-three percent indicated that they spend less than 30 minutes a day sifting through local deal sites.