• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 21, 2017

For those who like to see smart shopping as a kind of a game, RetailMeNot is launching a #DealBrag campaign starring actress Brooklyn Decker.

The first video in the effort, which invites shoppers to share their own #DealBrag stories on social media, is timed for the back-to-school season, says CMO Marissa Tarleton, and a second is scheduled for release closer to the holiday season. The campaign plays up Decker’s snarky humor (“Nobody wants to pay that much for crayons your kid is just going to eat”) as well as her competitive shopping streak. And it builds on the excitement of treasure hunting, which retail experts say is driving the popularity of chains like TJ Maxx and Costco, even as sales at department stores falter.

“Deals mean something new,” she tells Marketing Daily, explaining that RetailMeNot users tend to earn between $75,000 and $100,000 per year, and aren’t being pinched into frugality by circumstance. “They are looking for a deal, and that can mean free shipping, dollars off, or a coupon. They want a smart shopping experience, and that means not paying full price.”

She says the campaign is timed to build off shopping’s seasonal buzz. “People buy things all year, but as we move toward the end of the year, they’re talking about it more on social media, whether it’s back-to-school, Halloween costumes or holiday shopping.”

While RetailMeNot’s basic premise—saving $20 in 20 seconds—is true on both its website and app, she says mobile’s clout is gaining, as consumers increasingly rely on smartphones for deal-sleuthing while in stores.

And stores are responding. In research it released last month on how retailers hoped to win the back-to-school season, for example, RetailMeNot found that 89% of retailers said they planned to increase marketing spending on mobile, and 70% planned mobile offers through a partner platform.

RetailMeNot estimates that about $4.4 billion in 2016 retail sales were attributable to transactions from paid digital offers in its marketplace, with some $600 million of those attributable to its in-store solution.