Rubicon Project Survey Finds Shoppers Out in Force This Holiday Season, with 6 in 10 Planning to Turn Out on Black Friday or Cyber Monday

Those who plan to do most of their holiday shopping online and on
mobile devices plan to spend 20% more than those shopping in brick and
mortar stores

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With the official kickoff to the holidays only a day away, shoppers are
planning to be out in force this season, with six in 10 Americans
planning to shop on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or both, according to the
latest consumer pulse survey from Rubicon Project (NYSE: RUBI). The
annual survey examined the holiday shopping habits among 1,000 consumers
ages 18 and above in the United States and includes data on online and
mobile shopping trends and how consumers are spending their money this
season.

This holiday consumers will increasingly shop from the comfort of their
home or office, and especially on Cyber Monday, with 56% of those polled
saying they love Cyber Monday and over half (52%) believing they can get
better deals on Cyber Monday versus any other time of the year. Shoppers
are less favorable about Black Friday, with less than half planning to
head out the day after Thanksgiving. Those shoppers who intend to do
most of their shopping online or on their mobile devices also plan to
spend 20% more overall compared to those who plan to do a majority of
their shopping in brick and mortar stores.

“The biggest consumer trend we are seeing this year is a massive shift
in behavior and engagement with consumers signaling they are just as
comfortable making purchases online and mobile as they are in store,”
said Joe Prusz, Head of Mobile, Rubicon Project. “Importantly, consumers
aren’t just going online, they’re going to their favorite mobile
devices, with 44% planning to use a smartphone or tablet to make holiday
purchases. With consumers taking control of when and where they shop,
it’s clear that it will be a very merry mobile Christmas.”

Some additional insights from the annual holiday survey include:

• Consumers plan to be out in force this holiday season as 78% of those
  surveyed plan to spend the same or more this year than they did last
  year. Nearly one-third of US shoppers (31%) plan to spend more on
  holiday shopping this year versus last.
• Gift cards (71%) and apparel (67%) are the two most popular items
  consumers are planning to shop for this year.
• A majority of consumers (64%) prefer to buy many smaller gifts rather
  than one big ticket item. However, half still plan to splurge on a big
  ticket item this year, which will most likely be in the technology
  category.
• Online shopping will be nearly as popular as in-store shopping this
  holiday season, with three quarters of US shoppers planning to do some
  online shopping, including 96% of parents who plan to shop online this
  holiday.
• For the first time, an online destination tops US shoppers’ lists as
  the #1 outlet for holiday shopping, with 69% of consumers planning to
  shop on Amazon, followed by Walmart at 58%.

“This year we are seeing a relatively confident consumer heading into
the holiday season with most planning to spend the same or more as last
year, over $1,000,” commented Dallas Lawrence, Senior Vice President for
Rubicon Project. “We saw many shoppers begin their holiday shopping
before Labor Day and they’re shopping whenever and wherever they can —
late at night, on the go, at the gym or in retail stores. To capture the
greatest share of holiday shopping retailers really need to embrace the
always on consumer with the right mix of online, in-store and mobile
engagement.”

For further information on this study or insight into additional data
please visit: http://rubiconproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Holiday-Consumer-Poll-Results.pdf

About Rubicon Project

Founded in 2007, Rubicon Project’s mission is to keep the Internet free
and open and fuel its growth by making it easy and safe to buy and sell
advertising. Rubicon Project pioneered advertising automation technology
to enable the world’s leading brands, content creators and application
developers to trade and protect trillions of advertising requests each
month and to improve the advertising experiences of consumers. Rubicon
Project is a publicly traded company (NYSE: RUBI) headquartered in Los
Angeles, California.

Contacts

Rubicon Project
Eric Bonach, 310-207-0272
press@rubiconproject.com