When It Comes To Shopping For Deals And Discounts, What Card Are You Carrying In Your Wallet?

Of course, as shoppers we all rely on credit and debit cards but those little pieces of plastic are really changing! Millions of consumers now have cards with a microchip built into the card. This provides for a more secure transaction and prevents counterfeit cards. However, it requires retailers to read the card with an updated terminal and many have not yet invested in that technology. Also, since many of the new cards or readers don't have a PIN option, there is still the risk of lost or stolen cards being fraudulently used. Below is the link from the National Retail Federation for some more scoop.

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SpecialsAgent Recommends Father's Day Gift Ideas. Mark The Day...Sunday, June 21st.

OK, so here's the commercial reality...Father's Day will always take a back seat to Mother's Day.  Of course, it's unfair but most Dads are just fine with that . While Mother's Day is a huge day for flowers, cards, gifts, fancy chocolates and over-priced brunch, Father's Day too often gets just a verbal mention or maybe a card made in school. A wrapped gift or a walk in the park would be nice! Sometimes the day comes and goes with no acknowledgement...that's not so OK but it happens.  Either way, it's no Mother's Day!  

So, at SpecialsAgent we have over 40 gift ideas that your Dad will like...from Mrs. Fields cookies to autographed baseballs to some cool electronic gear....all with great promotional offers that we know he will appreciate!  

Click Here To See Father's Day Gift Ideas

The Way We Shop Has Completely Transformed In The Last 10 Years. And That Has A Huge Impact On Promotional Offers.

Most of us can recall just 10 short years ago when large-scale shopping malls attracted throngs of shoppers on busy weekends.  At the time, it was a smart, efficient place to visit many stores and get lots of shopping done. Those days are gone!  Now with the rise of internet shopping and online price comparisons and promotional offers, the physical space of these malls are (or will be) undergoing substantial changes. 

One idea is that instead of being filled with traditional shopping retailers, the mall can morph into an "all" by bringing in such day-to-day merchants as laundry cleaners, hardware stores, grocers, drug stores and even gas stations.  Yes, perhaps sort of a glorified strip mall but appealing to consumers who still prefer to have a single, convenient shopping destination...but just not for the specialty goods of "shopping" retailers. 

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SpecialsAgent Recommends Reading Forbes Article On The 8 Ways Buying Luxury Products & Services Will Change.

For decades, buying luxury goods has meant a trip to the store although gradually high-end brands have been exploring e-commerce. This Forbes article cites 8 ways merchants for luxury products and services are reaching their targeted shoppers...and how they are adjusting their merchandising and pricing strategies. 

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SpecialsAgent Is Happy To Do The Work For You! Simply Tell Us Once What Promotional Offers You Want. We'll Do The Rest!

SpecialsAgent understands you're not inclined to spend time searching websites and apps for promotional deals. However, we also understand that if a nice deal falls in your lap for a store, brand or product on your short list, now that's sweet. 

That's the simple idea of SpecialsAgent. Visit us just once and tell us what you like.  SpecialsAgent monitors just about every promotional offer out there in real time. We'll deliver to you just what you're looking for and how you want it...daily or weekly...email or text.  

SpecialsAgent, your concierge for promotional offers!

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Most Consumers Actually Value Convenience, Service, Location and Brand As Being More Important Than A Promotional Price.

Just about every consumer enjoys a great value when they shop.  However, that doesn't mean everyone is buying on price alone.  In fact, according to a study by Experian Marketing Services, a store's environment, the brands it carries, convenience, location and service are all more important than price for the majority of consumers surveyed. 

They survey results classified consumers into 6 segments by how they seek or use various deals.  Interestingly, the largest such segment of consumers are "Deal Indifferents" who are unlikely to change their behavior because of a deal. Another sizable segment is the so-called "Deal Rejectors" that have higher-than-average discretionary income and a willingness to part with it but steadfastly prefer convenience, service and brands over price.  This research summary is written for business owners but may be of interest for curious consumers who appreciate behind-the-scenes learning regarding promotional offers. 

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Consumer Trust In eCommerce Shopping For Discounts And Values Is As Strong As Ever. Amazon & eBay Lead The Way.

The E-Commerce and Online Auctions industry has experienced a decade of growth as many consumers have become accustomed to shopping for values and making purchases online. Of course, Amazon and eBay lead the way but there are many other options. The industry was briefly slowed by the recession; however, the economic recovery has been a boon to industry revenue.  

This research is not written for consumers and indeed is of significant cost but the online summary may be of interest for those curious about the business topic. 

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SpecialsAgent Makes It Easy To Stay Abreast Of New Free Apps, Top Music Singles & Albums...Right On Our Home Page!

Things are constantly changing on iTunes!  Top music singles change. Featured albums change. Top free apps change.  SpecialsAgent makes it easy to always know what's hot.  Within the left margin of our home page are three lists that display the up-to-the minute status of iTunes music and apps.  

Click To View What's New On iTunes

Promotional Offers Allow Merchants To Segment Their Customers Based On Their Willingness-To-Pay.

For many people, promotional offers, discounts, coupons and deals are fun and typically lead to a satisfying feeling of value. However, savvy merchants know that many of their customers could not be bothered to search, collect and redeem offers. As a result, it gets tricky for merchants to keep both customer segments happy...and coming back! 

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review addresses the concept of self-segmenting fencing. The idea is that consumers reveal their willingness-to-pay by selecting either the high or low pricing options.  That is followed by a tactical "fence" that separates the two segments. For example, that fence could be a coupon or an email list. When done right, premium customers should enjoy at least one important attribute that the low-price seekers don't get.  The grass should never look much greener on the other side of the fence! 

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Do Restaurateurs Invest In Daily Deals? This Cornell University Survey Asked 273 Of Them If They Do, And What They Know About It.

The prestigious Cornell University of Hotel Administration conducted a survey of 273 restaurant owners and mangers regarding daily deal promotional offers. Most of those taking the survey were associated with independent, not chain, locations. 

Half of them had invested in a daily deal as a marketing tool at least once.  Those restaurant executives that used a daily deal reported that 60% of the purchasers were returning customers (not the primary goal) but the balance of 40% were new customers (that's better!). Importantly, 35% of the new customers came back at a later date without a promotional offer incentive.  

Click Here To View Cornell Research Summary

Digital Promotional Offers Come In All Types But Usually Share One Bond: They Are Part Of A Merchant's Affiliate Marketing Program.

As consumers, we accept that most websites and blogs with interesting content also display advertising in order to make some money. At times, of course, the ads can be annoying but for the better sites the ads can actually be inviting. It's important to note that nearly all of such ads convey a promotional offer that is part of a strategic "affiliate marketing" campaign.  

Merchants cultivate partnerships with "affiliate" sites to display their promotional offers.  In turn, the owners of the website or blog receives a commission IF the consumers clicks over to the merchant AND makes a purchase.  Most consumers understand the concept.   However, the actual implementation is a marketing and technical challenge for merchants.  The Forbes article below is written for merchants but may be of interest for consumers who appreciate behind-the-scenes background.  

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Do Daily Deals Work For Small Businesses? The Short Answer Is: Usually Yes. Watch This Wall Street Journal Video For More.

Online daily deals have been around for years and by now smart merchants have a good handle on just how they work for their business.  Of course, merchants are hoping that once a consumer uses a deal they'll come back.  That's not always the case so experienced merchants know they can "walk before they run" by testing the impact of various offers before they go full speed. 

Sometimes a deal is so strong that a merchant can't handle the new business and ends up with unhappy customers! Other times the deal is so weak that consumers don't even bite. Still other times the expiration date is either too short or too long. There are many considerations for the merchants and this video from the Wall Street Journal shares some of that thinking.

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According To One Study, Consumers Prefer Their Promotional Offers In the Afternoon on Tuesday Or Friday. What About You?

Retention Science is a California-based digital services firm focused on helping online merchants with their email campaigns.  In 2014 they conducted a study to discover the optimum days, times and messages for online merchants to deliver promotional offers by email.  Their results tracked and consolidated 100 email campaigns delivered to 20 million users resulting in 100 million transactions. 

So what did they find?  Well, in a nutshell they found that mornings is not the optimal time to hit "send".  Rather, afternoons and evenings are better. While many merchants send their emails out on Monday morning for the start of the new week, the fact is that Tuesday and Friday are hugely more productive days for email campaigns. Also, in terms of offers, consumers are twice as likely to click on a "free shipping" offer as opposed to a "% Off" offer. 

Click Here To See Research Summary

As Consumers Search For Discounts And Deals, They Should Consider Value Perceptions Vs. Value Reality.

How is it that Walmart does a great job of projecting a low-price image even though their items are not always the lowest?  And why is it that Whole Foods can't shake the misperception that their prices are always higher? The answers are that merchants understand and manage very concrete strategies that, intended or not, send pricing expectation cues to consumers.  Of course, this has a direct impact on the perceived value of any special or deal a consumer evaluates. 

The Harvard Business Review has summarized an academic study that addresses these pricing expectation cues.  For example, does a store's high volume = low cost? Not necessarily.  Do shopping frills = high cost? Not necessarily. Do unconventional products  = high cost? Not necessarily. Understanding these cues and the related values of specials is vital as merchants compete with online sellers while consumers can easily check pricing via their smart phones

Click To Harvard Business Review Summary

Most People Looking For Discounts & Deals On SpecialsAgent Are The Kind Of Folks Looking To Keep Spending Smart And Simple.

SpecialsAgent trys hard to keep a pulse on consumer spending attitudes and behavior. It helps us curate not just high value offers, but smart ones.  In the footer of our site you can see some of the blogs we follow. 

One of them is The Simple Dollar.  That site receives over one million visitors each month and is ranked as one of the Top 10 personal finance sites on Kiplinger.  The Simple Dollar provides common sense insights related to credit, investments, college fund planning, retirement, insurance, and so forth. You may want to check it out! 

Click Here To View The Simple Dollar

Is It Just Me Or Are There More And More Promotional Offers Available To Consumers Via Digital Devices? You Bet There Are!

Each quarter Price Waterhouse Coopers in conjunction with the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) tracks overall digital media spending by advertisers. Versus the prior year digital advertising spending is up 17%.  Of course, not all of that spending is for promotional offers but given the immediacy of digital devices much of it is.  

That means a lot of discounts, coupons and deals flooding our smartphones, laptops, tablets, and desktops. That's good news for smart shoppers! Offers come in via email, apps, Twitter, direct mail, and on and on. When it comes to promotional offers, SpecialsAgent is all about monitoring many sources to discover the real gems and presenting them fresh every day.  

Click Here To View Spending Chart

Research Study By eBay Sheds Light On How Consumers Use Their Various Electronic Devices For Online And Offline Shopping.

eBay Enterprises helps merchants find the smartest ways to promote products. That includes eBay conducting consumer research to keep a pulse on shopping dynamics. eBay shoppers are very value oriented, typically looking for discounts and deals. What's changing fast is that most consumers have and use multiple devices to help them shop, blurring the difference between online and offline. 

  

The recent eBay study titled Multi-Device Ownership: Implications for Retailer and Consumers confirms smartphones are currently used for light browsing and purchasing plus store locations and directions. Tablets allow for deeper browsing given the larger screen real estate.  Desktops remain the preferred device for in-depth browsing and purchasing but are losing ground to tablets. 

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Recent Years Have Been Very Good For Smart Shoppers Looking For Deals At "Dollar" Stores.

In recent years have you found yourself snatching up deals and values at the major "dollar" stores? If so, you're not alone! Consumers at Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Big Lots and other such stores have saved a lot of money! These stores capitalized on the U.S. recession by attracting consumers who had less disposable income. 

During the last five years these stores expanded their product offerings to accommodate new users.  As the economy continues to improve, some of these new dollar store shoppers will revert back to their other preferred merchants.  However, some consumers will stay with the dollar store deals and their price-sensitive legacy will have an impact on general retailers. All this according to market research analysis conducted by IBIS.  The study itself is not priced for consumers but the summary link below is interesting. 

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So, How Do Consumers Discover Coupons And Deals Suitable For Them? Well, It's Quickly Shifting To Mobile.

Consumers discover their coupons and deals from digital sources, in-store and from direct mail. Currently, email is still king but delivery via mobile devices is quickly changing the game. An ongoing surge in user access to mobile coupons is driven by increased retailer engagement with the various mobile channels. A study by renowned Jupiter Research states that retailers were now integrating coupons into loyalty programs to a far greater extent.
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Smart Merchants Understand That Consumers In The U.S. (by Age Group) Discover Their Coupons and Deals In A Variety Of Ways.

Based on a research study of U.S. consumers titled "From Clipping To Clicking" conducted by Shopper Sciences, many shoppers today get digital coupons and deals via e-mail from programs they have opted into, but e-mail is certainly not the only way shoppers receive digital offers. Search is a critical tool for coupon users. Shoppers typically begin their hunt on search engines that direct them to coupon aggregation sites and brand and retailer websites. This is happening not only on desktop but on mobile as well. When it comes to young adults, they lead the way in terms of mobile usage for finding deals and coupons. 

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