Chicago, IL, January 2, 2013 – What attracted
consumers to specific stores for holiday shopping? According to a survey in
December by the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago & Northern Illinois
(BBB), shoppers picked sales and coupons as the biggest enticements. This was
followed by the store’s online reputation, then the store’s return policy. The
least influential factor was a store’s credit standards and practices.
“These
survey results show the key interests that consumers have in this economy,”
stated Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving
Chicago and Northern
Illinois. “What has the most immediate impact and hits closest to
home is what people care most about. This is the reason almost half of the
respondents picked sales and coupons as the most important influence for them
to shop at a store.”
A store’s
credit policies are important in the long run and for large purchases, however
many sales and coupons target smaller individual purchases. Shopping for larger
items like furniture or appliances tends to be planned, whereas smaller
purchases are more impulsive and therefore more easily influenced by coupons or
sales.
“Stores,
knowing consumer psychology, can influence shopping behavior with sales and
coupons,” Bernas noted. “This is where
checking on a store’s reputation comes in handy, and it shows in the survey
results as the second most-picked influence in shopping by about a third of the
respondents. More and more people are using business ratings, such as the BBB’s
Business Reviews, and other online comments to help determine where to shop.”
The BBB
offers the following tips for using coupons both in stores and online:
- Carefully read the terms and
conditions for the use of the coupon and check for the expiration date and
limitations of use.
- When using coupons from the
internet the BBB recommends contacting the store where you wish to use the
coupon to find out whether the coupon is being honored or not.
- Don’t fall for phony coupons
via e-mail. Many fake coupons have been making the rounds via e-mail and
just because it may come from a friend or family member, don’t assume the
coupon is legitimate.
- Be extremely cautious if the coupon
requires that the consumer call the company to redeem the value of the
coupon, and/or has any requirement to give personal information.
For more
advice on finding reputable businesses, visit www.bbb.org
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As a private, non-profit
organization, the purpose of the Better Business Bureau is to promote an
ethical marketplace. BBBs help resolve buyer/seller complaints by means of
conciliation, mediation and arbitration. BBBs also review advertising claims,
online business practices and charitable organizations. BBBs develop and
issue reviews on businesses and nonprofit organizations and encourage
people to check out a company or charity before making a purchase or donation.
