News

• 69% of Australians prefer a partner who is skilled at finding bargains. This trait is most appealing for men (72%) compared to women (65%).
• Since the start of the pandemic, 71% of Aussies said they shop with retailers they know will offer discounts.
• The average Aussie adult now spends about 1 hour (63 minutes) searching for bargains online per week, equating to approximately 20 million bargain-hunting hours spent across the nation weekly.
• Despite 85% of Aussies feeling positive when they score a bargain, only 1 in 3 looks to find a discount on what they need every time they shop online*.

New research released by Honey, PayPal’s deal-finding shopping tool, finds that Aussies love a bargain, and want to date a bargain-hunter, with most (69%) preferring their partners to be savvy shoppers.

The research shows the pandemic has boosted the importance of bargain hunting, with most Aussies seeking to reduce expenditure wherever possible. Some age groups spend more time finding bargains online than others, particularly those aged 35-49 who spend 85 minutes per week (almost an hour and a half) on average searching for deals.

Savvy shoppers are very appealing

It’s no secret Aussies love a sale, with 85% of Australians saying they feel positive when they secure a great deal online. However, Honey’s latest research shows they not only love bargains, they also class bargain hunting as a key talent they value in a life partner, with 69% of Australians preferring a partner who is skilled at finding discounts. This quality is most appealing for men (72%) in comparison to women (65%).

Nearly half of all Australians (47%), said they’d want to know if their prospective partner is a careful or thrifty shopper when they start dating. This was more prevalent for men, at 51%, compared to women at 44%.

The old adage ‘opposites attract’ seems not to apply for deal-hunting tendencies, with 86% of Australians believing it is important for their partner to share the same financial values. This was particularly important for women (90%), with men not far behind at 82%. 78% of Aussies also said they like it when their partner finds a bargain, as it benefits them too.

Bargain hunters will find the most likeminded sale-lovers among Victorians, who desire thrift-seekers the most (73%). However, there’s still strong interest in NSW (69%), QLD (69%), WA (66%) and SA (61%).

“Being on the same page financially, particularly when it comes to bargain hunting, has emerged as an important attribute Aussies look for when they’re dating, with nearly than half of all Aussies wanting to know if their prospective partner is a savvy shopper,” says Jess Rix, Consumer Shopping Expert at PayPal Australia. “Honey is a simple way to find some of the best deals and discount codes when shopping online, leveling up their savvy shopping skills and saving time and energy searching for bargains manually. All they need to do is download Honey at joinhoney.com, join for free using their PayPal account, and Honey will automatically search for and apply any discount codes it finds when you reach the checkout.”

Some Aussies are more dedicated to being thrifty

Most Aussies (62%) spend up to an hour searching online for bargains a week, and almost a quarter (23%) spend between 2-5 hours a week on the hunt. However, some demographics are more likely than others to do so. Aussies aged 35-49 topped the list, spending 30% more time than the national average finding deals, totalling around 85 minutes per week. Parents spend around 77 minutes hunting online, which is more than childless households at 60 minutes and empty nesters at 43 minutes. In comparison, Honey takes just seconds to search the internet for available discount codes and apply any it finds to your cart.

The pandemic is a catalyst for bargain-hunting

As the impact of the pandemic continues it’s not surprising that Aussies say finding discounts is more important than ever. Since the start of the pandemic, 71% of Aussies said they shop with retailers they know will offer discounts. But this hasn’t stopped Aussies shopping with purpose, with 61% saying they have been stepping up to support local businesses.

Two thirds of Australians (66%) say they are making fewer impulse purchases and 63% care more about finding a bargain during the COVID-19 era. Women were more likely to care (66%) about securing a bargain than men (59%). COVID has also impacted our attitude to non-essential items and treats with over half of Aussies (57%) saying they will only buy these non-essentials when there is a sale, discount, or coupon available.

However, despite loving that rush when scoring a bargain, only a third of Aussies (33%) look to find a discount on what they need every time they shop online. Interestingly, 31% said they find online sales confusing or overwhelming and 42% said they would rather choose the easiest path to purchase rather than going out of their way for a deal. Honey can help avoid the need to search for deals manually or engage with online sales by automatically searching for discount codes without complicating the path to purchase. It saves time for those who do search for deals with every purchase and gives those who don’t the chance to score discounts without changing their shopping habits.

“It takes seconds to install the Honey browser extension and start making smart shopping choices to buy everything from gifts to home goods, fashion and more,” Ms Rix said.  “Last year Honey helped find shoppers over $1.5B in savings globally. Even if no discount codes are found, users can earn rewards through the Honey Gold program, redeeming Gold for gift cards at some of your favourite stores. ”

About the Research*  

The 2021 Honey Savvy Shopping Research was commissioned by PayPal Australia Pty Limited, and was conducted by Decibel Research, an independent research services provider, to script and host an online survey amongst a representative sample of Australians aged 18 and over, selected by the research panel provider, Pureprofile. The study consisted of a 5-minute online self-completion survey of n=1,010 Australians aged 18 and older, exploring attitudes towards bargain hunting and savvy shopping. Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding. Significance testing was conducted at a 95% confidence interval, with a potential sampling error of 2.9%.