Black Friday Passé? Most Consumers are already Shopping

Pictured: Infographic of shopping behavior from Live Person

According to a new study of early bird shopping behavior, Black Friday may not mean that much any more to consumers.  That’s because most savvy shoppers are already hunting bargains. In a study conducted by LivePerson , consumers are shopping smarter because of all the data available to them via online resources, mobile and social media.  Here are the highlights of the study:

• 63% of respondents are planning to do a majority of their holiday shopping online, displaying a strong preference for using live chat over other engagement channels.
• Consumers are showing significant use of social platforms to interact with brands, with just under half of them using such channels as Facebook and Twitter to interact.
• Increasingly, consumers desire a better mobile experience, and they would like to use live chat via mobile devices.
• Tablets have become a go-to shopping device, and the majority of respondents (65%) expect to use the tablet device as one of two primary devices they use for holiday shopping

Pictured: Research from Live Person shows being Social Savvy can help consumers save.

What can you do to optimize your deal-finding IQ? First of all, follow the hashtags on Twitter like #BlackFriday, #Deal, #CyberMonday and #Coupon.   Then, check your Facebook communities and the groups of your favorite brands.  The designers and retailers will frequently post deals via Facebook.  Target has already posted their early Black Friday deals or Beat the Rush sale via Facebook. American Express is also promoting deals for card members via their Facebook group.    Get your mobile shopping apps ready, and check our listing for Mobile Deals and apps we love.  Finally, check our Black Friday/Cyber Monday page, as we are posting new deals all the time. The information is literally at your fingertips, and Black Friday isn’t just one day another more.  The deals keep coming as the retailers have to keep enticing us to shop with them.