ShopLocal Survey Says Shoppers are Savvy About Black Friday

Consumers Show Strong Purchasing Intent on Day after Thanksgiving; ShopLocal.com Launches Black Friday Microsite with Tips to Lighten Holiday Shopping

CHICAGO – October 23, 2007 - Enjoying the holidays is one thing; being prepared and surviving the shopping frenzy of Black Friday is quite another. ShopLocal, the leader in multi-channel shopping services, polled consumers in a recent survey* about whether they planned to brave the crowds on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. A resounding 52 percent said they plan to hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving, searching for holiday deals only offered by retailers one day a year. Despite the battle of fighting long lines and crowded parking lots, 67 percent expect to complete up to 25 percent of their shopping by the end of the first day of the holiday season.

The survey also revealed that mapping out a plan of attack appeals to 43 percent of consumers, who said they make up a list before going shopping. Twenty-four percent expect to wait or camp out in line in front of their favorite stores to be one of the first customers as more major retailers open their doors as soon as 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving night or early dawn on Black Friday. And not to be left out, 46 percent of the 2,500 survey respondents expect to pick up a gift or two for their own use. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent $99.22 last year just on items for themselves.

Because of the strong interest in Black Friday shopping this year, ShopLocal’s comparison shopping Web site, ShopLocal.com, has launched a microsite specifically aimed at helping holiday shoppers navigate their way to a successful shopping experience. The Black Friday destination site features top retailers’ circular ads conveniently located in one location and an enhanced local deal finder for the weeks leading up to Black Friday. The ShopLocal microsite also includes a sign-up for daily e-mails featuring upcoming sales and popular gift ideas to help “shopaholics” prepare for the month-long shopping season that runs from Thanksgiving through Christmas.

Localized, Customized Deals
To help map out a route to guide through the bargain hunting hordes, ShopLocal.com will provide Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds featuring local circular ads, a Black Friday blog and holiday bargains to consumers who register online. Die-hard shoppers can even have specific retailer circulars sent to them as soon as new editions are released. The local “deal finder” connects users to circulars and allows them to search products, brands, categories and retailers, cutting down on time and providing shoppers with a targeted tool for gift research.

“You can relieve some of the pressure of Black Friday shopping by starting early and determining what to buy, how much to pay and where to get it,” said Eva Yusa, also known as ‘Eva the Shopping Diva,’ ShopLocal’s shopping expert and blogger. “It is not a day that you want to enter a store without a game plan.”

The ShopLocal Black Friday destination microsite also is designed to help identify the hottest gift items of the season and, more importantly, where to find them. In some cases, local stores may offer the most appealing prices, but online storefronts are competitive, too, and are listed alongside local options.

For additional Black Friday Web site features and information, visit www.shoplocal.com/blackfriday.

* ShopLocal distributed the survey electronically to ShopLocal.com’s email subscribers in October 2007. Results were gathered from over 2,500 respondents.
About ShopLocal

About ShopLocal
ShopLocal, the leader in multi-channel shopping services, offers a complete suite of solutions connecting advertisers and consumers online and in-store. The company’s consumer Web site, ShopLocal.com, provides users with choice and control in their shopping experience by offering the most comprehensive selection of timely online and in-store offers on one easy-to-use site. With ShopLocal.com, consumers can find millions of products and up-to-date weekly sales, deals, and coupons for consumer electronics, apparel, groceries and more. 

ShopLocal’s customers include Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS and Sears. ShopLocal powers multi-channel shopping for hundreds of newspaper Web sites and other leading local and shopping sites, such as Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Arizona Republic, Google and SuperPages.com. ShopLocal is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI). For more information, visit www.aboutshoplocal.com.