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Record Numbers of Online Retailers Offering Coupons and Discounts This Holiday Season, Latest Ebates Online Savings Index Reveals

Posted on: Wednesday, 7 December 2005, 09:00 CST

Compared with last year, 54 percent more online retailers are offering special deals and coupons through Ebates (http://www.ebates.com), the largest cash-back shopping portal, according to the second quarterly Ebates Online Savings Index, released today.

More than half of Ebates' merchants are offering special deals or coupons this year. The hottest categories in terms of deal activity are (in descending order) Computers & Electronics (by far), Apparel & Jewelry, Home & Garden, Business & Office and Flowers & Gifts. Retailers offering the most coupons and deals through the Ebates site are (in descending order) Best Buy, Buy.com, Overstock, drugstore.com and OfficeMax.com.

Interestingly, the list of merchants whose coupons and deals are most used by online shoppers doesn't directly line up with the list of those who are offering the highest volume of offers. While there is some overlap, it appears that quality is at least as important as quantity when it comes to attracting consumers. The most popular merchants in terms of actual coupon usage by shoppers are (again, in descending order) Overstock, JCPenney, Circuit City, Buy.com and SmartBargains.

Of the merchants offering deals this year for the first time, the biggest numbers came in the following categories (in descending order): Apparel & Jewelry, Flowers & Gifts, Home & Garden, Travel and Sporting Goods.

"Online retailers are in a frenzy to attract holiday shoppers, and they're being much more aggressive this year than in years past," said Alessandro Isolani, Ebates co-founder and CEO. "Clearly, consumers want deals. But the key for retailers is to offer compelling deals -- to know their customers and give them what they want.

"On the flip side, shoppers need to know there's a way to save big money when they're shopping online," Isolani said. "There's no reason to pay stores' everyday prices when there are sites like ours that make it easy for them to find great deals and get up to 25 percent cash back at the same time. That's exactly why we started this quarterly snapshot into savings behavior, to help both sides -- retailers and shoppers -- discover the best ways to find each other online."

The Ebates Online Savings Index draws on proprietary data from the actual online shopping and saving behavior of Ebates' seven million members. Released each quarter, the Index serves as a means of both tracking shopper preferences and helping to educate the growing community of online shoppers about ways to recognize the best deals online.

Ebates Offers Holiday Deals Of Its Own

Ebates is offering several holiday promotions and useful resources, all designed to help consumers save money and shop smart this holiday season:

-- $500 Holiday Shopping Spree Giveaway -- Shoppers can win one of 12 total $500 gift certificates for Target, Lands' End and Hickory Farms. Three winners already have been announced; there are nine more chances to win through Dec. 21. All members are eligible; no purchase is necessary to win. To submit an entry, visit http://www.ebates.com/contestEntry.do?navigation_id=17932.

-- Access Ebates' 10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping & Saving at http://www.ebates.com/displayStaticContent.do?pageName=holiday _tips05.html

-- Get Christmas gift ideas with Ebates' Holiday Gift Guide at http://www.ebates.com/displayStaticContent.do?pageName=holiday s.html

Ebates is a free, easy-to-use online shopping portal that gives consumers cash back when they shop at more than 800 trusted retail sites. No matter which money-saving tactic attracts a particular online shopper -- by starting at Ebates first, he or she is able to layer those savings with guaranteed cash back with every purchase.

About Ebates

Ebates (www.ebates.com) is listed by Internet Retailer as a top 10 shopping portal, and is the largest one that offers cash back -- users start there, then click through to more than 800 trusted retail sites to earn cash back when they shop online. Ebates also presents money-saving coupons that can be combined with cash-back savings for even bigger discounts off already low Internet prices. Members save an average of 4 percent on every online purchase at any of the participating stores -- even up to 25 percent at some stores. Ebates invented the online cash-back shopping portal concept when it launched in 1999, and it continues to lead the industry with more members, more retail partners and more cash for its users than any other savings site.

Source: Business Wire

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