7 in 10 Canadian adults aware of online daily group deal sites; Groupon most popular

TORONTO — Leading global market research firm Synovate today released data from a recent omnibus survey which found that just over 70% of adults nationally have heard of at least one online daily group deal site. Awareness was highest in Ontario and lowest in Quebec. Adults aged 18-34 and 35-44 were more aware of daily deal sites, as were English speakers and households with children under 18. Men and women were about equally likely to have heard of an online daily group deal site.

The study showed that the most well-known deal site was Groupon, recognized by almost 50% of Canadian adults. The next most well-known deal sites were Kijiji Daily Deals (31%), WagJag (25%) and RedFlagDeals (20%). Knowing about discount sites is one thing; the willingness to purchase an online daily deal is another. Of the 70% who are aware of online daily group deal sites, one-third indicated that they had actually purchased from one of the sites. Those in Ontario and British Columbia showed the highest level of purchasing from an online daily group deal site.

Among the multitude of deal sites, Groupon attracted the most purchasers, at 18% of adults nationally who are aware of such a site. Usage of Groupon was highest in BC and the Prairies, as well as being especially high among 18-34 year olds.

Adrian Murphy, Vice President of Syndicated Research North America for Synovate said, “Consumers generally seek to get the most value for their money, which is the impetus behind the development of online daily group deal sites. The concept may help retailers and manufacturers save on their advertising budgets and at the same time reinforce brand and product awareness — potentially a win-win situation all around!”

With a growing number of daily deal sites comes more variety of shopping choices. Food & Drink is the most popular category, bought by 44% of those adults who have ever purchased from a daily group deal site. Beauty & Spa was the second most popular category (21%), along with Sports & Recreation (16%) and Art & Entertainment (15%). Males were more likely to have purchased a deal on Food & Drink and Sports & Recreation, while women showed a higher preference for deals on Beauty & Spa than did men.

The source for this survey was Synovate Canada’s bi-weekly eNation omnibus program, which also found that seven out of ten online daily group deal purchasers agree that buying such deals saves them a lot of money. Only 14% feel that they spend too much money on daily deal websites. Close to two thirds of deal site purchasers say that they are more willing to try new things through online deals, particularly 18-34 year olds. Interestingly, 33% of those who have purchased from a group deal site state that they have a lot of unused deals.

“The discounted pricing and safety-in-numbers concept that is the essence of online daily group deal sites provides strong incentive for consumers to actively seek out such deals” as stated by Asad Amin, Research Manager and lead for the omnibus program at Synovate Canada.

Other interesting findings from those that have purchased online daily deals include:

- On average purchasers buy about two online daily group deals a month
- Daily deal buyers (49%) will wait for the deal to become activated before making a purchase
- 72% of purchasers agree that they read all the fine print of the online daily group deal before making a purchase; this activity is much higher among females (79%) than males (64%)
- More than half (55%) believe that online group deals make great gifts


About the survey

This survey was conducted from August 18 to 22, 2011, with 1,012 Canadian adults aged 18+ through Synovate’s twice weekly online omnibus survey, eNation Canada. Respondents for this survey were selected via a systematic random sample from among those who have agreed to participate in Synovate Panel surveys. The Synovate online panel is composed of around 115,000 Canadian households who have been recruited to regularly participate in Synovate’s online surveys. Data were projected to represent the entire Canadian adult population based on census data from Statistics Canada, using various weighting factors including income, region and population density.

The information contained above conforms to the principles of survey disclosure and best practices for the market research industry. The full questionnaire is available on request.

About Synovate

Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates insights to help clients drive competitive brand, product and customer experience strategies. A truly borderless company with offices in over 60 countries, our approach combines best in class global research capabilities with personalised service, local knowledge and the flexibility to create teams and processes that meet clients’ specific requirements. At Synovate, our clients sit at the top of our organisational chart, driving us to continually develop more innovative research solutions that predict actual business outcomes.

For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.