Fifteen percent of all holiday shoppers wait until the last minute to do their gift buying, according to a new survey from Retale, a U.S. location-based mobile phone app that alerts consumers to in-store deals and promotions from their favorite retailers.
Furthermore, 58% of all last-minute shoppers use smartphones and tablets to help them shop.
And among this group, 88% use mobile devices to locate stores and check store hours as they get closer to Christmas Day.
"Last-minute shoppers need all the help they can get," said Pat Dermody, Retale president. "They're turning to smartphones and tablets to help them find stores and check hours while on-the-go. The latter is especially important since most retailers offer extended hours in the days prior to Christmas. Seasoned last-minute shoppers know this and are using their mobile devices to keep track."
Retale's survey—which was commissioned to examine last-minute shopping behavior during the busy holiday season and released Dec. 17—polled more than 1,000 adult men and women across the United States.
Retale is a member of the Bonial International Group and works with top retailers across the country.
[Image: www.gettyimages.com / Betsie Van Der Meer]