Ben Smye

hotukdeals, the UK’s leading shopping community, is a barometer for the UK economy. New data from the site reveals what consumers searched for in Q1 2025 and what this says about their spending priorities.

As the dust settles from the festive frenzy, new data from hotukdeals reveals a clear shift in what UK consumers are searching for in early 2025. Analysing the most popular search terms on the platform in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024, three key trends have emerged – pointing to changing priorities, new obsessions, and the enduring power of nostalgia.

From tech to travel: Shoppers swap gadgets for getaways

It’s no surprise that Q4 is the biggest quarter of the year for tech searches. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas all packed into a single season, demand for electronics surges – and hotukdeals Q4 2024 search data reflected that. But in Q1 2025, the picture changed.

Searches for many popular electronics dropped by at least 25%, including TVs, iPads, and laptops. Gaming searches also dropped, with terms such as Xbox and PS5 down, although there are signs that the new Nintendo Switch 2 will be hot with a huge spike in searches at the end of the quarter preceding the Nintendo Direct video announcement on April 2nd.

In their place? “Holiday” searches shot up by 43.3%, as users turned their attention from gadgets under the tree to booking some time away in the sun.

“This trend reflects the natural shift in consumer focus after the festive period,” says Dan Evans, consumer expert at hotukdeals. “Once the gift-giving season is over, deal hunters start planning ahead – and getting the best price on holidays becomes the next priority.”

Back in the groove: Vinyl resurgence continues

Among the standout risers, one word struck a nostalgic chord: “vinyl” searches were up 22.2%.

Whether it’s a love for physical music, the joy of collecting, or simply the aesthetic, vinyl’s revival continues into 2025. With many reissues and special edition pressings hitting shelves early in the year, it seems that a growing number of British consumers are spinning their way back to analogue.

“Vinyl has made a huge comeback in recent years,” adds Dan Evans. “In 2024, the vinyl market grew by 10.5%, and it looks like we could be set for further growth in 2025.”

Other rising stars: From budget SIMs to protein powder

Beyond the headlines, a few other trends quietly picked up steam:

• Lebara saw a 57% increase in searches, as more people hunted for affordable, flexible mobile plans. The biggest driver of this was likely some very attractive deals, including this one in January that offered 50GB data, unlimited minutes and texts, and EU roaming for just £0.42 for the first 8 months
• Both “Pokemon” (+0.98%) and “Pokémon” (+10.3%) saw modest but meaningful increases, pointing to sustained interest in collectables, gaming, and nostalgia-fuelled fun.
• Proving that New Year’s resolutions still have some power, “protein” searches rose by nearly 10%, as health-conscious shoppers looked for deals to fuel their fitness goals.

The big picture

While Q4 will always be dominated by tech and gifting, Q1 2025 has shown a broader spectrum of interests: experiences over electronics, nostalgia over novelty, and value-driven choices that reflect how people are navigating the year ahead.

Want to see what the UK’s biggest shopping community is looking for right now? Visit hotukdeals.com to explore trending searches, top deals, and what’s hot this week.

This article is based on exclusive Atolls data. If you have further questions or would like additional insights, get in touch at benjamin.smye@atolls.com.

Ben Smye

mydealz is Germany’s leading shopping and deals community, with tens of millions of monthly users. As a result, mydealz data reveals a lot about consumer behaviour in the country. We dug into the search data and picked out three striking consumer trends from the first three months of 2025.

As inflation bites and sustainability climbs higher on the agenda, new search data from Atolls and mydealz reveals a shift in consumer priorities in early 2025: Germans are trading tech upgrades for energy independence.

While once-coveted consumer electronics like the iPhone, iPad and laptops have seen drops in search interest compared to Q4 2024 (all at least -20%), a different category is heating up fast — literally.

Solar power to the people

Searches for “Wechselrichter” (inverters) soared by +79%, while “LiFePO4” batteries — prized for their safety and long lifecycle in solar applications — jumped +74%. The term “Balkonkraftwerk” (which directly translates as “balcony power plant” and is a small solar power system that can be installed on a balcony or in a garden rather than on a roof) surged by +50%, showing growing enthusiasm for do-it-yourself solar solutions that help households reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.

The upward trend mirrors rising interest in self-sufficiency and cost-cutting amidst rising energy prices and regulatory pressure to go green. With Germany continuing to support small-scale solar installation through incentives and feed-in tariffs, it’s clear that many are seizing the opportunity.

Tech interest declining – or just a seasonal trend?

Alongside the solar surge, some big-name tech brands saw declines in 2025 compared to Q4 2024:

• Apple searches fell -39%
• Samsung dropped -33%
• Xiaomi lagged -25%

However, the declines aren’t so surprising when you consider Q4 2025 included Black Friday and Christmas, when searches for all of these brands and products spike. Therefore, this trend could be more indicative of seasonal differences in consumer buying trends than a broader trend at this stage. Nonetheless, it’s something that will be interesting to keep an eye on and return to later in the year.

Telsa takes a hit

Given the extensive coverage of Tesla in recent months and its reported sales drop in Europe, we decided to see if mydealz searches reflected this wider trend. And it turns out they do.

In Q1 2025, searches dropped almost 56% compared to Q4 2024. And this time it seems to be more than a seasonal trend; searches were also 23% lower than in Q3 2024 and 35% lower than in Q2 2024.

One of the winners from this looks to be South Korean car manufacturer Kia. Searches for Kia and their car models increased 13% in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024; even more striking is that searches were 257% higher than in Q2 2024.

A shift in mindset?

While some of the tech decline may be seasonal, the simultaneous rise in solar, energy, and value-related searches points to a broader transformation. Germans aren’t necessarily spending less — they’re spending differently.

They’re investing in independence, looking for value, and prioritising practical over flashy. For brands, that means 2025 could be the year to lead with function, sustainability, and long-term value over shiny upgrades.

This article is based on exclusive Atolls data. If you have further questions or would like additional insights, get in touch at benjamin.smye@atolls.com.

We have just released a new guide that explores whether cashback platforms drive incremental value for online retailers and brands. Read on for a summary and download the full guide here.

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Incrementality. Search for the word in a dictionary and you won’t find it. In the marketing world, though, you’ll frequently hear it used. So, what does it mean, how can you measure it, and does cashback as a channel deliver incremental value? That’s exactly what we decided to explore in our new guide, Beyond Discounts: How Cashback Sites Drive Incremental Value.

What is incrementality?

In short, incrementality refers to the additional value generated by a marketing campaign or channel. CJ defines it as the “additional value the channel provides that would not have occurred without the channel present“. This means you can use different metrics to measure incrementality, such as new sales, average basket size, purchase frequency, and even average marketing cost per customer. Important: new sales are not the only measure of incrementality – don’t fall into the trap of thinking they are.

We developed the following methodology to look at incrementality with contribution margin (i.e. revenue mins variable costs) as the ultimate goal:

Here’s how to read it:

1. The north star metric is contribution margin 1 (CM1), i.e. revenue minus variable costs.
2. Two primary metrics affect CM1 – the total number of customers and the contribution margin per customer, and each of these is affected by the total number of customers and your contribution margin per customer
3. Each of these metrics can be influenced by various levers, such as average basket size, purchase frequency, and average marketing cost per customer

Almost every metric (or lever) shown above can drive incremental value. However, from our experience, these six are the ones that tend to be most relevant for marketers (as they are the metrics that marketers can have the most impact on):

• First-time (or new) customers
• Repeat customers
• Average basket size
• Purchase frequency (i.e. number of purchases per customer)
• Average marketing cost per customer (or per sale/conversion)
• Conversion rate

We go into each of these and look at how cashback sites can impact them in the guide.

Do cashback sites drive incremental value?

That’s the big question. In the guide, we explore each of the six incrementality drivers highlighted above to see what the data and user insights say about each of them. Here’s a summary:

1. First-time customers: Cashback campaigns can attract new shoppers by offering higher rewards for their first purchase.
2. Repeat customers: Cashback fosters loyalty, with 73% of users reporting higher affinity toward brands that offer rewards.
3. Average basket size: Users on cashback platforms tend to spend 46% more per transaction compared to average shoppers.
4. Purchase frequency: Promotions on cashback sites can more than double the purchase frequency at retailers running the promotions compared to competitors that aren’t.
5. Marketing cost per customer: With performance-based payouts, cashback can lower acquisition costs compared to traditional channels.
6. Conversion rate: Cashback users convert at rates up to 188% higher than non-affiliate traffic.

If that has intrigued you, there’s not much more to say: download and read the full guide now.

Munich, 11.09.2024 – Global Savings Group, a leader in online savings, cashback, and shopping communities, today takes the next step in its journey as it announces its rebrand to Atolls.

After rapid growth in recent years and the completion of several significant M&A deals, most recently the completion of a merger with Pepper in 2023, the new brand reflects the company’s evolution. Today, Atolls’ products don’t only help consumers save money, but guide and support them throughout the shopping journey. They are amongst the world’s leading destinations for decisions for online shoppers, and combined, they drive billions of euros in purchase decisions each year.

Bringing together brands with 20 years of history

Global Savings Group was founded in 2012 as CupoNation, and in the early years, it focused on the coupons segment. After rebranding to Global Savings Group in 2016, the company expanded beyond coupons and entered into the cashback space with the acquisitions of iGraal and Shoop. In 2022, the company announced it would join forces with Pepper.com to create a combined entity that brought together the world’s largest shopping community with Europe’s leading shopping recommendation and rewards company. As a result, some of the world’s most-visited e-commerce websites, including hotukdeals, which was founded in 2004, were brought under the Global Savings Group umbrella.

Today, the company operates a wide variety of shopping destinations, including coupon and cashback platforms such as Coupons.com, iGraal and Shoop, and some of the world’s most popular shopping communities, including hotukdeals, mydealz and Dealabs. Such destinations help consumers throughout their purchase journeys, taking them from A to P – Anywhere to Purchase.

Why Atolls?

“Atolls represents more than just savings and deals—we are focused on creating digital destinations that are perfectly placed along a consumer’s journey. Just as travellers once relied on atolls in the ocean for crucial stopovers, our platforms are there when consumers need them most, helping them get from anywhere to purchase,” says Gerhard Trautmann, CEO of Atolls.

“On top of that, like atolls in the ocean, which appear dispersed but are connected by underwater reefs, our technology, teams, and culture are all interconnected. While each Atolls brand is a desirable digital destination in its own right, by building them on a common foundation we can move faster as we continue our mission of building leading shopping experiences for consumers.”

Positioned along the consumer decision journey, Atolls destinations help consumers make more confident spending decisions online. The products play a role from the initial stages of product discovery through to the final point of purchase. This approach not only benefits consumers but also provides significant value to Atolls’ partner brands, enabling them to reach and engage potential customers more effectively. Today, more than 12,000 brands and retailers work with Atolls worldwide.

Internally, the concept of Atolls represents the interconnectedness of the company’s various digital platforms. While each atoll operates as a unique and individual destination, they are all connected by a singular, robust foundation – much like how individual islands are part of a larger reef system. This unified infrastructure supports Atolls’ operations globally, driving efficiency and scalability as Atolls destinations support hundreds of millions of users and drive billions of GMV annually.

Looking to the future

Rebranding to Atolls marks the start of a new era for the company, yet the core mission remains the same. CEO Gerhard Trautmann believes there are plenty of opportunities for the company to continue growing in the coming years.

“Atolls shopping destinations today are already trusted by hundreds of millions of people, but we still see enormous growth potential. For example, plenty of exciting developments are happening with our existing products behind the scenes, especially around the topic of personalization. These developments will enable us to deliver even more engaging experiences to our users, which in turn will benefit the brands and retailers we work with.

“On top of that, there are several geographic markets, such as the US, where we have grown our presence significantly in the last couple of years, but where there’s still a lot of room to grow further.

“Ultimately, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about our future, and I look forward to working with our global team of more than 1,000 people to continue building the future of ecommerce.”

What have European consumers chosen to spend their money on in the first half of 2024? Find out in the GSG H1 2024 Consumer Spending and Behaviour Report.

We analysed consumer spending and behaviour from the first 6 months of 2024 across Germany, France, the UK and Spain. The report is based on a subset of GSG data across more than €1bn in spending and tens of millions of transactions. In this report, we outline our findings, looking at:

• What people are spending their money on in each country
• Which products and retailers were trending based on search insights
• Purchase behaviour – what days and time of days consumers spend, and what devices they use

Read on to discover the trends we see in each country during the first 6 months of the year and what this says about consumer behaviour in each of them.

Contents

Summary

Looking for a summary of the key trends? We’ve got you covered:

Consumers have spent a significant amount on travel in all countries, and in general spending on travel has increased in 2024 compared to 2023.

Fashion spending has generally taken a hit, with year-over-year spending down in Germany. Although it is up year-over-year in France, spending has increased at a much lower rate than other categories.

UK consumers prefer shopping on mobile, while in Germany, France, and Spain they prefer desktop.

Saturday is the least popular day for online shopping in all countries, with the most popular day being different in each country (Germany – Sunday, France – Monday, UK – Monday, Spain – Tuesday). Overall, Monday had the highest combined transaction share across countries.

7-8pm is the most popular time to shop, with some slight nuances in each country (Germany – 6-8pm; France – 5-6pm and 7-8pm; UK – 7-8pm;Spain – 7-9pm).

Germany

In Germany, spending overall has increased compared to last year; it was higher every month in 2024 than in 2023 except for January. This suggests that consumers are bullish and confident about their prospects, perhaps buoyed by lower inflation and a stabilisation of interest rates.

Based on millions of transactions and more than €400m of spending, other key insights include:

• Spending on travel continues its strong growth from 2023, driven by a mixture of strong demand and higher average spend per transaction
• German consumers have bought more electronics and gadgets in 2024 compared to 2023, but spent less on fashion
• Sundays were the busiest days for online shopping while Saturdays were the least busy. Overall, 3pm-9pm were the peak times for online shopping, with 39.4% of transactions being made between these hours

Spend on travel continues its hot streak

Our data shows that German consumers spent more on travel in 2024 than in 2023. The industry has experienced something of a boom in the past couple of years and that has continued into 2024. Heading into the year, some had predicted headwinds for the industry and a slowdown in spending, but in Germany, those predictions don’t seem to have materialised.

Demand for flights increased by 4.8% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023. Spending on hotels and accommodation also jumped; a lot of the growth was driven by strong promotions by one of the leading accommodation booking sites which looked like it encouraged consumers to book more stays.

In relative terms, we also saw a big jump in spending on travel experiences (e.g. tours and activities). Two of the leading sites for booking travel activities saw transactions increase by 30% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Tech another winner

Consumers have been spending more on electronics and gadgets this year compared to last year. In May, interest in the newly released Google Pixel 8a spiked; searches on mydealz for ‘pixel’ jumped by 63% in the week the device was released (with searches specifically for ‘pixel 8a’ up by over 5000% in the same week). During the same month, there was also clear interest in the new iPad Pro lineup that Apple announced with a 121% increase in searches on mydealz following its launch.

Perhaps counterintuitively, the closure of a well-known retailer may have driven some of the demand for tech. In March, Gravis, a popular electronics retailer and one of the biggest Apple dealers in the country, announced it would be closing its doors in June. In May, shortly before its closure, deal hunters looked to snap up bargains as the retailer sold off its stock; weekly searches for the brand on mydealz increased by almost 3,000% in late May.

Fashion less of a priority

One of the sectors that saw lower demand, however, was fashion, with spending down 12% year-over-year. Fast fashion seems to have been hit especially hard, with spending at the best-known fast fashion retailers down by almost 17%. The luxury segment, on the other hand, has remained resilient with spending largely flat year-over-year.

The data reflects concerns fashion industry executives voiced in a McKinsey report released earlier this year, which claimed “fashion leaders are anticipating headwinds and are uncertain about prospects for the year ahead”.

Paired with the increase in travel spending, an easy conclusion would be that consumers in Germany are spending more of their money on experiences than material goods. However, the increase in spending on gadgets and technology suggests this kind of broad generalisation isn’t true. It may be that consumers are becoming more discerning about how and where they spend their money, though.

Desktop remains king

When it comes to how consumers in Germany are choosing to shop, there is something of a surprise. Although mobile shopping has been on the rise in recent years, our data shows that consumers still prefer shopping on desktops in Germany. In fact, the share of transactions on desktop increased in 2024 compared to 2023. 58.6% of transactions were completed on desktop in the first half of 2024 compared to 55.8% in 2023. 40.4% of transactions were done on mobile devices in 2024 (compared to 43% in 2023) and just 1% of transactions were made on other devices such as tablets (compared to 1.2% in 2023).

Sunday is the favourite day for online shopping

During the first 6 months of 2024, Sunday was the busiest day for online shopping, capturing 16.5% of transactions. This is perhaps unsurprising as the vast majority of shops are closed on Sundays across the country, so consumers have to go online to get their shopping fix. The next most popular day was Monday, taking 15.1% of transactions – perhaps driven by people completing purchases they researched on the weekend or chasing a pick-me-up at the start of the week. Saturday, on the other hand, was the least popular day for online shopping, capturing just 12% of transactions. One possible explanation for this is that shoppers reserve Saturdays to go to brick-and-mortar stores.

When it comes to times of the day that people prefer to shop, activity tends to increase throughout the day and peaks in the afternoon and early evening. Almost 40% of transactions took place in the six-hour period between 3pm and 9pm, with shoppers most active between 6pm and 8pm – at the end of the typical work day for many people.

France

In France, overall spending was up by around 12% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023.

Based on millions of transactions and over €300m of spending, other key insights include:

• French consumers spent more on travel in 2024 compared to 2023 so far, with spending up 20% year-over-year; the biggest winner within the travel segment was hotels and accommodation, with spending up 39% year-over-year
• Fashion saw the lowest increase in spending
• French consumers have been ditching their phones in favour of computers, with just 35.7% of transactions made on mobile devices so far in 2024, compared to 40% in 2023

French consumers prioritise travel

Consumers have shown a clear preference for spending on travel over material goods in the first half of 2024, with the category taking a 39% share of overall spending. It was also the second highest growing category, with spend increasing just over 20% year-over-year, outstripped only by the technology category (which grew at 24.4%).

Within the travel category, consumers spent more on transportation, flights, and online travel agencies and aggregators.

More tech purchases but lower average spend per transaction

Tech spending grew by over 24% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023. Interestingly, though, the total number of transactions in the category increased by a whopping 83%. This would seem to suggest that consumers in France are buying tech and electronics products more frequently but opting for smaller, less valuable items each time – but that’s not entirely true.

It is true that the average order value in the tech category has decreased. One of the reasons for this is the rise of Temu, which encourages people to ‘shop like a billionaire’. Since the latter half of 2023, spending at the Chinese marketplace has exploded across Europe, but with many products priced below €10 and even the most expensive products only costing in the low hundreds of €, the average transaction at the marketplace tends to be much lower than at other tech retailers. The result is that the average order value within the tech category as a whole has come down.

That said, if we take Temu out of the picture, the average order value in the tech category has actually increased year-over-year by almost 17%. That has been driven by increased spending on home appliances and higher value electronic goods such as laptops, computers and mobile phones.

 

Desktop grows in popularity

Shopping on desktop grew in popularity in 2024 compared to 2023, with the medium capturing 63.68% of transactions compared to 59.11% in 2023. The share of transactions on mobile devices decreased year-over-year, from almost 40% in 2023 to 35.7% in 2024. That’s despite the rise of Temu, generally considered a mobile-first retailer.

French consumers prefer shopping online on Monday

Perhaps as an antidote to the post-weekend blues, Monday proved to be French consumers’ favourite day for online shopping. It captured 15.9% of transactions, with Wednesday the next favourite day at 15.8%.

Saturday, on the other hand, captured the lowest share of transactions at just 11.5%. This trend is reflected across Europe, and could indicate a tendency to shop at brick-and-mortar retailers on Saturdays – or simply have a break from shopping altogether.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, based on insights from more than €300m of spending and millions of transactions in the first half of 2024, we found:

• Consumers in the UK spent most heavily on travel, showing a particular affinity for travel agencies and package holidays.
• They also spent a significant amount on food delivery services and fashion, although fashion spending seems to be on something of a downward trend.
• Mobile shopping is popular in the UK (more so than in other European countries such as Germany and France), and Monday is the most popular day for online shopping.

Brits love a package holiday

As a category, Brits spent the most on travel in the first half of 2024, with the vertical taking approximately 22% of total spend. Of that, almost half of the spending was with travel agencies and package holiday providers.

British holidaymakers have something of a reputation for enjoying package holidays and the data suggests this continues to be the case. A 2023 survey showed that the top reason for UK consumers to take all-inclusive holidays is that they believe they offer good value for money and take away the worry of having to account for lots of additional spending money. And, although consumer confidence has been on the rise since early 2023 in the UK, consumers remain somewhat cautious about spending.

Takeaways gobble up a large piece of the pie

British consumers also spent a significant amount in the ‘lifestyle’ category in the first half of 2024. This includes sub-categories such as food and drink, entertainment, pets, and car parts, and while this category attracted lower spending than travel, it had the highest overall transaction volume.

Spending was driven by a large number of purchases in the food and drink category, and the two highest individual retailers within that group (by both transaction volume and amount spent) were food delivery services. One of those retailers was also one of the leaders by total spend across all categories. There was also a significant spike in interest in a specific retailer, Just Eat, during April; this was due to the launch of an Apple Pay promotion which gave users £12 off orders of £20 or more. In the week this promotion was launched, searches for the brand increased 213% compared to the previous week.

Consumers invest in home improvements

Consumers spent significantly this year on home furnishings and DIY; the broader home and garden category captured 6.8% of total spend across all categories, and the most popular retailers in the category were furniture and DIY retailers. Specific promotions also contributed to this. For example, in June, an attractive IKEA offer drove interest in the brand on hotukdeals. Between 3-9 June, searches for the brand increased by 594% compared to the previous week, and across the whole month of June, searches were up around 380% compared to May.

Mobile shopping takes first place

When it comes to device choice, UK consumers prefer shopping on mobile over desktop or laptop computers. In the first half of 2024, just over 61% of transactions were made on mobile devices, compared to just over 37% on desktops and less than 1.5% on tablets.

In this way, consumers in the UK are different from their counterparts in Germany, France and Spain, who, perhaps surprisingly, still shop more on desktop and laptop computers than they do on mobile devices.

Online shopping peaks on Mondays

Monday was the busiest online shopping day of the week, taking 15.4% of transactions, and Wednesday was the second most popular day at 14.6% of transactions. Saturday, on the other hand, was the quietest day, capturing just 13.3% of transactions – a trend that is reflected across Europe.

Reasons for this could be that people look for a pick-up on Monday after the weekend, while on Saturdays they prioritise other activities or visit brick-and-mortar stores rather than shopping online.

Spain

In Spain, based on insights from more than €60m of spending and over a million transactions the first half of 2024, we found:

• Consumers in Spain spent most heavily in the ‘lifestyle’ category, which includes categories such as health and beauty, food and drink, entertainment, pets, and gifts.
• Travel was also a popular category, with hotels and accommodation and travel agencies two of the biggest categories within travel
• Tuesday was the most popular day for online shopping with Saturday by far the least popular day

Spaniards love health and beauty products

Our data shows that the health and beauty category accounted for a significantly higher proportion of overall spending in Spain than in other European countries during the first half of 2024. It captured close to 13% of total spending compared to just over 3% in Germany and almost 4.5% in France. Particularly strong here were online retailers selling perfumes, makeup and cosmetics. On average, Spanish consumers spent €47 per purchase in this category.

Fashion is another area where Spaniards spend relatively more than their European counterparts; the category makes up over 17% of total spending in Spain, compared to 11% in Germany and 13% in France. There we can also see the impact of Chinese players with Shein taking a significant share of fashion spending.

Multi-department retailers a big winner

Consumers in Spain spent big at so-called ‘multi-department’ retailers – these are companies that offer a wide range of products and includes names such as Amazon, Miravia, AliExpress and Temu.

As we’ve seen elsewhere in Europe, emerging Chinese-owned marketplaces have grown significantly in popularity over the last 12 months. In the first 6 months of 2024, aggressive promotions by such marketplaces have seen them become some of the top individual retailers by total spend; the three top Chinese retailers in Spain captured 40% of the total spending in the ‘multi-department’ category and just under 7% of overall spending.

Pizzas and fans grab deal hunters' interest

We saw two interesting things in search data from Chollometro, Spain’s leading deal community. In May, with parts of Spain experiencing its hottest May ever and temperatures reaching more than 40C in some areas, searches for ‘ventilador’ (‘fan’ in Spanish) increased week-over-week by almost 200%. Data from Spanish real estate website Idealista suggests that just 41% of homes in Spain have air conditioning, so it appears consumers are turning to fans to combat the heat as practical and cheaper alternatives to air conditioning units.

We also saw a spike in searches for ‘Telepizza’, a well-known pizza chain in Spain, in late June. Week-over-week searches for the brand were up by 265% between 17-23 June compared to the previous week. This interest was driven by a deal on Groupon that offered pizza-lovers a medium pizza with up to three toppings for just €2.99 – although they had to pick up the pizza themselves!

Tuesday the most popular day for online shopping

Tuesday just pipped Monday to the post as the most popular day for online shopping. It took a 16.4% share of transactions compared to 16.1% on Monday, with Wednesday the third most popular day at 15.3% of transactions.

Saturday was the least popular day with just 10.9% of transactions, mirroring the behaviour we saw in Germany, France, and the UK.

In terms of the times of day when Spaniards like to shop, they are most active in the early evening between 6-10pm, with 7-9pm being the peak hours. However, mid-morning is also a popular time to shop, especially between 10am-12pm. Interestingly, the peak hours for shopping on desktop are between 9am-12pm on weekdays (Monday-Friday) while mobile shopping peaks in the evenings (7-10pm) every day.

Data and graphs

Download the data and graphs used for this report here.

The impact of coupon sites in the world of ecommerce is sometimes misunderstood. Some argue that coupons gnaw away at profit margins and can risk devaluing a brand. For others, they offer a pathway to reach a new audience and generate additional sales, and play an important role in their marketing. Probably the most common misconceptions about coupon sites is that they negatively impact profit margins (which we refer to as contribution margin in this article), and that the sales they generate would have happened anyway. We decided to see if the data supports these assumptions or if it tells a different story.

In this article, we’ll summarise our findings. You’ll find the full insights in our white paper, The Counter-Intuitive Impact Coupon Sites Can Have on Contribution Margin.

Impact on Average Order Values (AOVs)

Contrary to what one might expect, it turns out that customers who use coupons often end up spending more, not less. Global Savings Group (GSG) internal data showed that AOVs are up to 122% higher for online shoppers coming from a GSG coupon site compared to the average shopper shopping directly at the same retailer’s website. Data from affiliate network Awin supports our findings, with purchases including a coupon on average 54% higher than those without one.

So, AOVs might be higher, but what about contribution margins? After all, working with coupon sites can bring additional costs, such as the commission paid for each sale they generate. Well, it turns out that the contribution margin per purchase is still higher for coupon site users than it is for the average buyer (based on our calculations). Why? Because the higher AOV offsets the impact of the discount and commission paid to the coupon site. These increased order values counterbalance the coupon discount, leading to higher profitability for retailers.

Drive new sales in a targeted way

A growing percentage of online shoppers search for discounts as part of their shopping experience, with 32% of people searching for coupons every single time they make a purchase online. Our white paper highlights how coupon site platforms are particularly effective at targeting price-sensitive consumers; by working with reputable coupon sites, you can ensure customers looking for coupons have a good experience, while not impacting profit margins on customers who don’t search for them. If, on the other hand, you decide to show coupons directly on your site to all customers, even those customers who would have bought at full price will likely use them.

On top of that, coupon sites will typically drive new customers at a lower acquisition cost than other major marketing channels such as Google Ads and Facebook. Coupon sites operate on a cost-per-action basis where you only pay for conversions, and not for clicks or impressions. This means that coupon sites often drive higher return on investment (ROI) than traditional advertising channels such as Amazon, Google, or Meta.

Reduce cart abandonment

Did you know that the average cart abandonment rate stands at over 70%? Why is this? Consumers are motivated to shop online but often lack the incentive to complete their purchases, as well as having myriad options to shop with competitors or search for cheaper alternatives. Working with coupon sites can provide a crucial incentive for online shoppers to complete their purchases.

Interestingly, data from affiliate network CJ found that shopping journeys that included a visit to a coupon site saw a conversion rate lift of a staggering 152.4%. Data from Global Savings Group supports these findings; in one case, a campaign we ran with an advertiser that included an exclusive discount code delivered a conversion rate lift of 180%. By increasing your conversion rate, your overall marketing efforts become more efficient and ROI can increase significantly.

Bringing it together… 

Despite the criticism of coupon sites in some circles, data shows they provide clear opportunities for retailers to attract new audiences and reduce cart abandonment rates. What’s more, they play a much more nuanced role in driving value beyond simply generating sales; the impact they can have on AOVs can help to offset any perceived costs associated with them.

In this article we’ve only briefly covered the topic and insights we discovered, so for the full scoop, don’t forget to read the full white paper on the topic.

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