News

Survey: Shoppers are frugal but optimistic

January 11, 2011

A new IBM survey of more than 30,000 consumers demonstrates that, while shoppers are optimistic about the future, they have developed attitudes during the global recession over the past several years that still dictate their behavior: They buy what they need, search for items on sale and wait longer to purchase, and they have embraced the use of technology throughout every step of the process.

According to the study:

• Seventy percent are positive about their income situation.
• However, the shopping attitude is that frugality reigns. Their top three shopping attitudes are to only buy what they need, search for items on sale and wait longer to purchase.
• Forty-nine percent of respondents were "instrumented consumers" – those who use two or more technologies, e.g. a website, mobile device or in-store kiosk to shop - a 36 percent increase since IBM's last retail study a year ago.