Holiday shoppers going social, mobile
If you’re looking for just the right gift for Aunt Sally, you may find yourself turning to social networks and your mobile phone this holiday-shopping season.
More consumers expect that these two aspects of technology will help lead the way this year, according to a recent survey from consulting firm Deloitte.
Deloitte, which surveyed more 10,000 consumers for its 24th annual holiday-shopping survey, drillled down on technology’s effect on buying habits by releasing new statistics on Wednesday.
The survey found that 53 percent of consumers plan to use social media to research gift ideas, 52 percent intend to check the wish lists of relatives and friends on social networks, and 60 percent plan to hunt for discounts and sales using social networks.
Mobile phones are also becoming a tool for bargain-hungry shoppers. Among those surveyed, 55 percent plan to use their phones to find store locations, 45 percent will use them to research prices, 40 percent will look for product information, and 32 percent will hunt for discounts. In addition, 25 percent said they expect to buy a holiday gift using their phones.
The good, old Internet still rates as a top spot for holiday shoppers, with 22 percent saying they’ll shop primarily online this year and 44 percent expecting to use a coupon they find online.
