The Leading Retail Circular Websites Showed an Increase of 27 Percent in Shoppers Contributing to a 43 Percent increase in Page Views
CHICAGO – Nov 27, 2009 - ShopLocal™, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), and the leader in multi-channel marketing services, is reporting a record breaking 27 percent rise in traffic to top retailers’ online circular sites as consumers prepared for their Black Friday shopping expeditions. Sale offers increased by 13 percent over last year and consumers responded in larger numbers and also increased their page views per visit by 12 percent. Retailers facilitated all of this as they not only offered a higher volume of promotions but an unprecedented number of major retailers also announced sales early.
“More than ever, consumers are using the internet to save themselves time and money by pre-planning their visits to local stores,” said Vikram Sharma, CEO of ShopLocal. “Throughout the past year consumers have tightened their belts and sought out deals, and we expect the trend will continue during the holidays. Retailers delivered holiday promotions earlier, inspiring more consumers to take advantage of the extended previews of holiday shopping deals and plan their purchases,” added Sharma.
Consumer activity on the ShopLocal circular sites peaked on Wednesday at 9 a.m., then again on Thursday at 9 p.m. as consumers solidified their shopping plans for Friday. The Thursday night peak set an all-time record for ShopLocal circular site activity with over 12.7 million page views in a single hour, surpassing the previous record which was also set at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Unlike last year (2008) when recession fears curbed holiday spending, pent-up demand has led to consumers viewing more sale content than ever. The increased traffic to ShopLocal circular sites is being driven by increased consumer interest and retailer marketers who are pushing more promotions earlier. Consumers visiting these sites are expected to make the majority of their purchases in children’s toys, electronic products, and continue the trend of stay-cations and home improvements.
The latest and greatest promotions from retailers can be found on www.ShopLocal.com and information about holiday shopping trends is available at the ShopLocal blog: www.shoplocalblog.com.
About ShopLocal
ShopLocal (www.AboutShopLocal.com), leader in multi-channel marketing services, offers a complete suite of innovative digital solutions that connect advertisers and consumers – online and in-store. ShopLocal’s industry-leading SmartProduct business solutions (SmartCircular, SmartCatalog and SmartDelivery) enable more than one hundred of the nation’s top retailers, including Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS, Albertsons and Sears, to deliver highly interactive, targeted and localized promotions to shoppers through online circulars, display advertising, search, social media, digital out of home and mobile. ShopLocal is the retail division of PointRoll, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gannett Company.
Posted on 25 November 2009 by Loch Rose
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November has shown an unusual level of deals compared to the usual relative quiet during the run-up to Black Friday. In fact, retailers have extended an average of 16% more offers during November 1-23:
Consumers are responding, with 23% more visits to the online circulars hosted by ShopLocal:
Page views on the online circular have increased even more, running a remarkable 44% above 2008:
Clearly the retailers are extending the holiday shopping season, and consumers are responding. Historically, visits to the online circular have been a strong predictor of in-store sales, and if that holds true, retailers should see strong sales in the pre-Thanksgiving period.
However, the implications for sales on Black Friday are less clear. Certainly consumers are engaged, which is a good sign for sales on Black Friday and for November as a whole, but they may have taken advantage of the early offers to complete much of their holiday shopping already. The most likely outcome is solid but not exceptional store traffic and sales on Black Friday itself, while retail sales for the month as a whole are stronger than predicted.
The ShopLocal Retail Index was up 37 percent for the month of October compared to the same period last year. The Index registered at 290 (benchmarked at 100 for January 2006), the second highest reading ever for a non-holiday month.
As the run-up to the holidays begins, consumers remain wary, with lower spending plans for 2009 than 2008. They plan to save money via online comparison shopping (70%, compared to 38% last year), and by starting their holiday shopping in October (22%) or even earlier (another 30%). Savvy retailers took advantage of these trends by offering more deals than ever in October – ShopLocal’s data showed a 16% increase in offers per retailer in October 2009 compared to October 2008 – and showcasing them in their online and print circulars.
October 2009 ShopLocal Index highlights include:
- The ShopLocal Index is up 37 percent in October year-over-year, with 382 million page views (adjusted), versus 295 million last year.
- The Other (Specialty) segment led the way with 79 percent growth, followed by the Home & Garden segment with 53 percent growth. The remaining segments all showed 20-30 percent growth.
- Consumer page views per visit on a per retailer basis averaged 13.1 for the month of October, up 5% from a year ago.
The ShopLocal Index is the advertising industry’s first market indicator designed to track the influence of the Internet on in-store shopping. Updated monthly, the Index is based on the online activity of more than 25 million monthly consumer visits to in-store local promotions that are presented on the sites of more than 50 major U.S. retailers, including JCPenney, Target, Best Buy, Walgreens and Home Depot. These retailers cover all major retail segments including computers, consumer electronics, office supplies, home improvement, department stores, mass merchants, grocery, drug and various specialty stores. The retailers’ online circular sites are powered by ShopLocal’s SmartCircular technology.
If you have Comcast then you’ve got to watch the On Demand Shopping channel (channel 887).
Another great example of bridging the offline world with the online world, starting in mid-November, Comcast Digital Cable customers can browse video circulars with the most up-to-date sale items traditionally featured in printed newspaper inserts from several top retailers.
The On Demand Shopping category is a partnership between Comcast, ShopLocal and Liquidus. ShopLocal is providing the local, versioned data and Liquidus is using their automated system to create the videos.
“Updating the classic sales circular for TV is a natural evolution,” said Kevin Smith, Vice President of Digital Media for Comcast Spotlight. “For retailers, Video Circulars on Demand are a tool to expand their reach to customers who are watching more and more video. For consumers, it’s another option for finding the items they’re looking for, from the comfort and convenience of their own homes.”
Selecting channel 887 on your remote control takes you to the On Demand Shopping category, where you can see the latest weekly ad circulars from several top retailers in your area.
For more information and to see a demo visit VODCirculars.com
.Starting in mid-November, Comcast Digital Cable customers can browse video circulars with the most up-to-date sale items traditionally featured in printed newspaper inserts from several top retailers. Selecting channel 887 on their remote controls takes customers to the On Demand Shopping category, where they can see the latest sale information from those stores 24×7.
ShopLocal.com was mentioned as a great way to compare prices in The Money Times article 8 Ways to Save on Holiday Gifts. In the article author Chandkishore Patro describes how you can “Learn and apply the practical ways of saving money this holiday season.” Thank you to The Money Times for the ShopLocal.com mention.
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