• by Aaron Baar , October 15, 2016

Consumers are expecting to spend more on their holiday purchases, but expect to find more deals, this year on their holiday purchases. 

According to Accenture’s 10th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey, 44% of consumers said they plan to spend more on their holiday purchases, even while 42% said they rarely or never expect to pay full price for their items. 

The Internet and mobile Web will be major drivers of these searches for deals. Both webrooming (researching a product online before shopping in-store) and showrooming (researching a product in-store before buying it online) will take place, with 82% doing the former (up 13% from last year), and 82% doing the latter (up 16%). Some 84% of consumers, meanwhile, will check Amazon before looking anywhere else. 

Don't discount good old coupons as a tactic, however. Nearly three-quarters of consumers (72%) said promoting or coupons could entice them to shop at a store they haven’t used in the past year. Consumers are also willing to give up some of their personal information in exchange for discounts or coupons, loyalty card points and highly relevant promotions. 

Half of consumers will do the majority of their shopping online, although shipping costs and delays were cited as main frustrations with the practice (cited by 62% and 40% of respondents, respectively). Nearly half (48%) of consumers said they planned to take advantage of purchase online/pick-up in-store offers, and 71% of those consumers said they were likely to purchase additional items during their visit to pick up their purchases. 

“Consumers are in the habit of doing research before they shop or make a purchase and this trend only intensifies during the holiday season,” said Jill Standish, senior managing director of retail at Accenture, in a statement. “Retailers must provide consumers with a hassle-free shopping experience, whether they are shopping online or in-store.”