With the holiday shopping season officially in full swing, PriceGrabber®, a part of Experian, just released results of its second winter holiday shopping survey, revealing where consumers plan to shop for gifts this year. When consumers were asked to select all of the ways in which they will shop for gifts, 90 percent indicated they will shop online from a computer, up slightly from 89 percent in 2010. Forty-eight percent will shop in brick-and-mortar stores — down from 65 percent in 2010 — and 13 percent will shop online from a mobile device, compared with 9 percent last year. Conducted from Sept. 19 to Oct. 17, 2011, the survey includes responses from 2,322 U.S. online shopping consumers.

PriceGrabber’s data also found an increase in the percentage of purchases that will be made online this holiday season compared with last year. In 2011, the average consumer will make 63 percent of holiday purchases online, 33 percent in brick-and-mortar stores and 4 percent from a mobile phone. Last year, the average shopper said he or she would make only 57 percent of purchases online, 40 percent in brick-and-mortar stores and 3 percent from a mobile phone.

Consumers shop online to beat crowds and for convenience

When asked to select all of the reasons why they will shop online or from a mobile device for gifts this year, 78 percent of consumers indicated that they don’t want to fight the crowds in brick-and-mortar stores. This number was closely followed by 76 percent who like to take advantage of free shipping or enjoy the convenience of shopping around the clock and 75 percent who cited the simplicity of price-comparison shopping.

“We aren’t at all surprised to see online shopping make an even bigger splash in 2011 than it did in 2010,” said Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber. “With the ability to monitor prices at one’s fingertips and to shop around the clock, today’s busy and money-conscious consumer is looking to online and mobile shopping as go-to options for finding the best deals during a frenetic period such as the winter holiday season.”

Men and women differ in their use of mobile devices

Of the survey respondents who plan to use a mobile device for holiday shopping this season, men and women replied differently when asked how and where they will use their smartphones. When asked to select all of the ways in which they plan to use their mobile devices, 77 percent of men plan to check prices online before making an offline purchase, compared with 71 percent of women. More women indicated a preference for shopping applications and retailer coupons, with 59 percent planning to use shopping apps, 57 percent planning to view retailer emails with coupons or discounts while shopping in stores, and 47 percent planning to have coupons texted directly to a mobile device. This is compared with 51 percent, 51 percent and 30 percent of men, respectively.

When asked to identify where they will shop while using a mobile device, 82 percent of women said they will shop from home, compared with 77 percent of men, and 20 percent of women will shop while standing in line, compared with 16 percent of men. Forty-four percent of men will shop from work, versus 39 percent of women, and 25 percent of men will shop via mobile device from a brick-and-mortar store, compared with only 18 percent of women.

Local deal sites prove popular for holiday gift giving

The daily deal industry has exploded over the past year, and consumers are frequently tapping into this trend for 2011′s holiday shopping season. PriceGrabber’s survey data found that 59 percent of consumers plan to use local deal sites, like PriceGrabber’s local deals offering. For holiday gift purchases this year, PriceGrabber local deals can be found athttp://deals.pricegrabber.com and similar Websites.

When asked to select all of the local deal categories they plan to search for gifts, the Shopping category dominated, winning over 56 percent of consumers. This was followed by 50 percent of consumers planning to search Entertainment & Events, Family & Kids, or Food & Dining; 34 percent planning to search Beauty & Spas or Home & Personal Services; 26 percent opting for Hotels & Travel; 24 percent saying they will search Active Life & Fitness; 17 percent planning to search Automotive or Education; and 15 percent selecting Health & Medical.

“Local deal sites are revolutionizing the way consumers look at gift giving, placing a new emphasis on experiential gifts that family and friends can enjoy together,” added Jones. “Despite a challenging economic climate, consumers still want to feel that they are living richly, and local deals are a fantastic way to bring together loved ones during the holiday season at a reasonable price.”

For savvy holiday shopping on any budget, visit http://www.pricegrabber.com to browse, compare, read merchant reviews, find local deals, find online deals and more. Download the mobile application for smart shopping on the go.