Brief:

• Deal-seeking shoppers are increasingly using mobile and online channels to find discounts, according to a Forrester Research study commissioned by digital coupon marketer RetailMeNot. The percentage of shoppers who use a mobile savings app to find deals has grown to 38% this year from 10% in 2014, the study found.
• More than half (60%) of shoppers look for discounts on retailer platforms including apps, websites and emails or through search engines. The percentage of survey respondents who are willing to receive text messages with discounts while they're shopping in a physical store grew to 52% this year from 25% in 2014.
• Shoppers are more willing to share information about products they like in order to receive personalized, relevant discounts (60% of respondents) than information about their online activities (6%), friends and followers on social networks (4%) or social activities (4%), the survey found.

Insight:

The RetailMeNot survey reinforces the idea that consumers have grown more reliant on their mobile devices to shop and to seek out deals. This is especially important with younger consumers, as shoppers under age 50 are more than two times as likely as older shoppers to research products on their smartphones, and prefer to look for discounts while on the go. Younger shoppers also are more likely to look for discounts using savings apps (42% versus 32%) and social media (39% versus 23%) when shopping online, the survey found.

The survey demonstrates several ways brands can engage shoppers without alienating them. The rate of shoppers willing to receive texts with personalized discounts while they're shopping in a brick-and-mortar store has doubled since 2014, suggesting that brands should leverage mobile location-based data, when possible, to deliver the right deals to the right customers. More than 80% of marketers plan to boost their use of location data over the next two years to seek greater insights into how consumers interact with businesses, according to a separate study conducted by 451 Research and commissioned by Cuebiq.

As brands struggle to deliver an experience that's both personalized but not too personal, knowing what type of information consumers are willing to share becomes increasingly critical. The survey suggests brands are safe to use data that's pertinent to the shopping experience, like purchase history and interests, but should avoid marketing based on other online activities and social connections that may cross the line and unsettle consumers.