Holiday Shoppers Turn to Digital Devices to
Stretch Their Dollars
Findings from SapientNitro & GfK Roper Survey | December 2011
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Findings from the 2nd annual SapientNitro-GfK holiday
shopping survey show Americans are increasingly turning to
digital gadgets to bargain hunt for holiday gifts.
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This is particularly true of iPad and other tablet owners, a
majority (56%) of whom agree with that statement. When it
comes to 18-24 year olds as a whole, nearly 2 in 3 (64%)
express they feel “empowered” in the same way.
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One respondent said:
“Using digital devices makes it easier and makes me
feel like I’m in control of the prices. I get better deals
and better prices, and it’s enjoyable.”
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In fact, 39% of all Americans agree that their use of
digital devices has “enriched” their shopping
experience so far this holiday season. Nearly half of
18-24 year olds (47%) agree.
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One respondent noted:
“It was less confusing, so you don’t have to have [all]
the papers with you—the ads are right there on your
phone. That was wonderful.”
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“As the use of digital devices moves more and more
to the forefront of Americans’ shopping behavior, the
ease of findings deals with them – whether through
research, social media, deal sites, and the like – has
eased the pressures of gift giving in this down
economy.”
– Chris Davey, global head of commerce at SapientNitro
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“This empowerment comes at the right time given
that many Americans – 44% – plan to spend less on
holiday shopping this year than they did last year.”
– Chris Davey, global head of commerce at SapientNitro
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Overall, use of digital media for holiday shopping is up
from the 2010 post-Thanksgiving holiday season. For
example, those with digital devices are more likely to
report using one to:
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• Browse for products (67%, up from 44% in 2010)
• Research products (67%, up from 48%)
• Compare prices at other retailers (60%, up from 40%)
• Look for discounts or deals (48%, up from 35%)
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Many also used e-mails from vendors offering deals,
consumer ratings on sites like Yelp or Amazon, or the
increasingly popular daily deal sites like Groupon or
Living Social to help them decide on a particular gift:
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Not all holiday shopping is done for others, however:
“About half of online holiday shoppers say they
picked up something for themselves this holiday
season, lending credence to the notion that ‘self-
giving’ is alive and well in 2011.”
– Geoff Feinberg, vice president at GfK Roper
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Areas to Watch
SapientNitro has identified a number of consumer
trends to watch over the next few holiday seasons.
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“One area we’re watching with interest is GPS-
enabled mobile computing, particularly among the
savvy tablet owner.”
– Chris Davey, global head of commerce at SapientNitro
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According to the survey, among consumers who
have smartphones:
• 31% used their GPS/location feature on their phone to help with
holiday shopping
• 30% used a mobile app to search for or purchase a product this holiday
season
• 20% looked or posted something on Facebook, Twitter, or other
social networks to find or ask for advice on holiday gift buying
• 18% used a mobile coupon at point-of-purchase
• 19% used a QR code to find more information about a product
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Among tablet owners:
• 42% used a mobile app to search for or purchase a product this holiday
season
• 41% scanned a QR code or barcode to get more information about it
(compared to 19% for smartphone owners)
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“Imagine the day when you walk into a store and the
retailer already knows something about you based
on location-aware services. The implications for
retailers – in terms of targeted promotions or in-
store navigation – are fascinating.”
– Chris Davey, global head of commerce at SapientNitro
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How The Survey Was Conducted
December 9 - 11, 2011 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications
on behalf of SapientNitro
Press Release: http://tinyurl.com/7uzo65e
Contact: David LaBar
Email: dlabar@sapient.com
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This telephone survey is based on a nationally
representative probability sample of 1,000 general
population adults age 18 or older reached on landline
telephones.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the
entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples.
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