Survey: Nearly 20% of All Holiday Shoppers Wait Until Last-Minute

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Dec 17, 2014) - Retale (www.retale.com), a location-based mobile app that brings in-store deals and promotions from your favorite retailers right to your phone, today announced the results of a new commissioned study examining last-minute shopping behavior during the busy holiday season. For the study, over 1,000 adult men and women across the U.S. were polled.

According to the results, 15% of all holiday shoppers wait until the last-minute to do their gift-buying. Also, 58% of all last-minute shoppers use smartphones and tablets to help them shop. Among this group, 88% use mobile devices to locate stores and check store hours as they get closer to Christmas Day.

"Last-minute shoppers need all the help they can get," said Pat Dermody, President of Retale. "They're turning to smartphones and tablets to help them find stores and check hours while on-the-go. The latter is especially important since most retailers offer extended hours in the days prior to Christmas. Seasoned last-minute shoppers know this and are using their mobile devices to keep track."

Here are some tips holiday shoppers need to keep in mind as the big day approaches:

#1: Have a strategy... and a back-up plan

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. So having a game plan is always a smart idea. Assuming that you've passed the point of no-return, when you head out to the stores, have an idea of what you want to get and how long you're willing to shop for that particular item. The more specific your gift idea, the longer you're likely to have to look -- especially if that's the same gift idea millions of other people may have had before you. So, if you can't find that particular item in a reasonable amount of time, be ready to move to Plan B.

#2: Decide on a price range that you'll be willing to pay

When you find a something that works, in a size or color that you want, don't set it back down in hopes of finding a better price. Hope isn't a strategy especially when you're a last-minute shopper. Buy it, keep the receipt, and if you find something better at a better price later, you can always return it. Not buying it risks that someone else will grab it and that the size or color you want will be gone for good.

#3: Get the best in-store deals delivered to your smartphone

Just because you're shopping last-minute doesn't mean you have to break the bank -- and mobile apps can help. Retale -- on iPhone, iPad, and Android -- can support last-minute shoppers by making it easy to find great deals and in-store promotions at some of the largest stores like Target, Macy's, JCPenney or Best Buy.

#4: Take advantage of the opportunities to shop late

Almost all retailers have extended store hours during the season and some even stay open 24 hours as the big day approaches. For example, Kohl's will open its doors for 100-hours straight, from Friday, Dec. 19 at 6 a.m. through Wednesday, Dec.24 at 6 p.m. Check extended hours before you go out. If you can find it in yourself to head out after the kids are in bed, do it. You may just be able to get a lot done in a shorter amount of time.

#5: When all else fails -- buy a gift card

Gone are the days when gift cards seem like an easy way out. According to Accenture, more than 56 percent of holiday shoppers planned on having gift cards on their holiday shopping lists last year. A gift card to someone's favorite store, along with a box of their favorite chocolates, may be a more welcome gift than a "panic buy" of something that you know in your heart they'll never wear or use.

For more information on Retale, visit www.retale.com.

About Retale

Retale, a U.S. location-based mobile app and website that aggregates weekly retail circulars, is a member of Bonial International Group working with top retailers from across the country to give shoppers a digital alternative to print circulars. Retale is available on the web, mobile, tablet and as a downloadable app. With a presence in Chicago, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Barcelona, Moscow and São Paulo, Bonial has more than 13 million users worldwide and 300 employees.