Searching For Deals In All The Old Places

By Ben Carsley, Managing Editor (@BC_PYMNTS)

When it comes to where Canadians search for their deals, it’s out with the new and in with the old.

Those are the surprising findings of a new eMarketer breakdown of research conducted by Ipsos and RetailMeNot in June.

The study found that discounts and deals are the most influential factors when it comes to digital purchasing decisions, with 54 percent of Canadians indicating this motivated them the most.

But a more surprising finding was that Canadians aren’t turning to mobile channels for these deals: instead, they’re relying on a much older purveyor of information to hunt for bargains.

Driving Digital Purchase Decisions

As mentioned above, 54 percent of consumers indicated that deals, discounts and sales were most likely to influence their online purchasing decisions. This factor was followed by reviews, ratings or opinions held by previous product owners at 43 percent, and trustworthiness of the retailer at 42 percent.

Speed and convenience were factors for about one-third (29%) of respondents, while reviews by journalists or experts weighed in at 24 percent. Finally, comments and reviews from peers on social media held the least amount of sway with Canadians, with just 20 percent citing their relevance.

Where Canadians Turn To For Deals

Despite the mobile momentum we so often hear about, according to the survey, newspapers and postal mail still reign supreme in terms of where Canadians turn to find their deals and vouchers. Twenty-eight percent of respondents indicated they prefer to find their deals this way.

Unsurprisingly, search engines such as Google finished second, with a full quarter of respondents indicating they use such engines via desktop, laptop or tablet to find deals.

Email alerts and online newsletters finished third at 11 percent, while coupon/voucher websites and price comparison sites came in at 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

Once again, social media finished down the list in terms of influencing Canadians, with just 4 percent indicating they used sites like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to bargain hunt. Finally, only 2 percent said they use mobile apps to search for deals, while just 1 percent indicated they rely on SMS offers. Fifteen percent of Canadians are apparently missing out on the savings craze, indicating that they “never look for deals and offers.”

To read more, check out eMarketer’s breakdown of the Ipsos Public Affairs and RetailMeNot study here.