More online shoppers are hunting for bargains this year, and most can be swayed by free shipping offers, according to a survey by research firm TNS for business organization The Conference Board.
Shoppers who call themselves bargain hunters account for 44% of shoppers who have made an online purchase in the past three months, up from 41% at this time last year, according to the quarterly survey of 10,000 households. 90% of respondents said free shipping offers would entice them to spend more online.
“Free shipping, special offers and deals are at the top of online holiday shoppers’ Christmas lists this year,” says Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “And, with more consumers referring to themselves as bargain hunters, it’s a list retailers shouldn’t ignore if they want to drive up holiday Internet sales.”
While self-proclaimed bargain hunters make up 44% of online shoppers, another 16% shop online occasionally but prefer stores, die-hard Internet shoppers declined slightly from last year to 16%, those who buy online when items are not available in stores account for another 15% of online shoppers and another 10% shop the web only when time is of the essence, the survey found. 46% of men call themselves bargain hunters, versus 41% of women.
Returns remain a big issue, as half of shoppers said they would be more likely to purchase online if they could return items to a store, and a third said free return postage would boost their web shopping.
Similar sentiments emerged from a Harris Interactive telephone survey on behalf of Newgistics Inc., a provider of return-management technology. In that survey, 68% said being able to return an item from home was very important and 69% said they would not likely shop again with a direct retailer if the returns process proved inconvenient.
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