PriceGrabber reveals shoppers' money-saving tactics this BTS season

LOS ANGELES — Back-to-school shoppers plan on stretching their dollar and taking advantage of retailer incentives to save, PriceGrabber said.



Releasing additional results from its back-to-school shopping forecast — which previously revealed that consumers are planning to spend more money on back-to-school items this year — PriceGrabber noted that three-quarters of survey respondents (74%) cited free shipping as the top retailer tactic that would entice them to make a back-to-school purchase. This was followed by sales (72%), price cuts (66%), coupons (63%), online promotion (43%), price matching and in-store promotions (28% each).



What's more, smartphones also will play a key role in making these purchases, as 37% of PriceGrabber survey respondents said they plan to compare prices from their mobile phone while in brick-and-mortar stores this back-to-school shopping season. Among them, 14% of respondents said they plan to do back-to-school shopping from their mobile phones.



"Whether shopping in stores or online during this back-to-school season, consumers should leverage the multitude of money saving tools and retailer incentives that are available," PriceGrabber general manager Graham Jones said. "We can deduce from our survey that free shipping will be a huge deciding factor when consumers purchase online. Savvy shoppers will get the most for their money by searching for coupons and actively using comparison shopping websites to ensure they are getting the best deal."



Meanwhile, when PriceGrabber survey respondents were asked to select all of the ways in which they plan to save money while back-to-school shopping this year, those surveyed ranked online and comparison shopping websites as the top destinations (62%), along with discount, bargain and outlet stores (56%). In an effort to save, many respondents said they would search their home for school supplies or take an inventory of their child's closet (50% and 49%, respectively) before making additional purchases. Other saving methods that may be utilized include making a list to control impulse buying (36%) and visiting retailer websites to print out coupons (34%).



"We aren't at all surprised to see that survey respondents selected online and comparison shopping websites as the number one money-saving method for back-to-school purchases," Jones said. "With the ability to monitor prices at one's fingertips and to shop around the clock, today's busy and money-conscious consumers are looking to online and mobile shopping as go-to options for finding the best deals."