Dive Brief:

• Research from media delivery company Valassis found 67% of consumers expect to find more than $100 in Cyber Monday savings while conducting deal hunting, preparation and planning the day before on "Sofa Sunday," per findings made available in a press release.
• The research found that 71% of Cyber Monday shoppers will spend time searching for deals on Sofa Sunday and two-thirds will spend the same amount of time or more time researching those savings than actually shopping on Cyber Monday. Valassis found 45% of consumers will spend two or more hours conducting research on Sofa Sunday. Most will do so from their homes using desktop or laptop computers (52%) and mobile phones (36%).

• While desktop and laptop computers led the survey for those based in the home, mobile might actually be the more important channel, as 63% of shoppers are planning on using mobile devices on Sofa Sunday at home, work or on-the-go. The press release noted that RetailMeNot reported 92% of retailers are increasing their investment in mobile over the rest of 2017. Marketers looking to reach Sofa Sunday researchers have a limited window to present offers, as 58% of them will end their activities by 9 p.m.

Dive Insight:

Add another big day to the holiday shopping season for marketers to obsess over. Valassis's findings around the so-called Sofa Sunday period underscore the importance of targeting every stage on the consumer path to purchase, including the discovery and research phase, with relevant messaging in order to maximize revenues.

The tactic is the B2C equivalent of B2B's lead nurturing campaigns and one that might become essential as e-commerce sales become more competitive around major deal days like Cyber Monday. This is especially true as Amazon continues to dominate much of the conversation around online shopping. Sixty percent of consumers surveyed by Valassis plan to visit Amazon's website first to begin their research, the release said. 

The study also reinforces that a mobile-focused approach is necessary to cater to the shopping habits of consumers today. Industry bellwether eMarketer forecasts m-commerce done via devices like smartphones, in particular, will grow by 57.8% in the e-commerce category this year — a trend that's sure to extend to the holidays.