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Press Releases

GfK Shares Print Ad Discount Trends for H1 in US, Canada

Press Releases

GfK Shares Print Ad Discount Trends for H1 in US, Canada



GfK published the following two releases today, sharing print ad discount trends in major electronics categories for the US and Canada.

US Print Ads Reflect Frequent, Deep Discounts on French Door Refrigerators, Digital Cameras in H1 2016

Over half of 60,000-plus electronics ads measured by GfK in H1 offered a discount

Electronics manufacturers and retailers continue to incentivize consumers with strong discounts in selected categories. GfK, which tracks print electronics advertising throughout the US, found that 53% of ads in the first six months (H1) of 2016 offered discounts, with an average markdown of over 10% in 20 of 23 categories tracked.

GfK’s Promotion and Causal Retail team noted 30,658 print electronics advertisements in Q1 of 2016, and 29,851 in Q2 – over 60,000 ads, with 32,055 offering savings. GfK also measures print discount advertising in Canada and over 50 countries worldwide.

Click here to request additional information from GfK’s print discount trends for H1 2016.

Three quarters (76%) of all ads for digital cameras in H1 featured discounts, while French door refrigerators were marked down 68% of the time. The markdowns for French door refrigerators were steeper, though – an average of 19% off, compared to 13% for digital cameras.

Printers, dishwashers, and traditional refrigerators also were frequently discounted – printers more so in Q1 (when 77% of ads featured markdowns, versus 69% in Q2). Savings on traditional refrigerators and dishwashers were higher in Q2, though – 69% in Q2 versus 65% in Q1 for dishwashers, and 68% versus 62% for traditional fridges.

“By capturing nearly two-thirds of all print ad readership in the US, we pick up critical trends down to the market, brand and retailer level,” said David Allen, head of commercial operations for GFK’s Promotion & Causal Retail business in North America. “We are seeing manufacturers in key categories continuing to aggressively leverage print to drive store visits and purchasing. We combined these findings with information on in-store and web promotion and pricing to provide clients with a 360° view on their positioning versus competitors and the ROI brands are after in their use of trade marketing dollars.”

GfK’s data on Canadian discounts in H1 2016 showed much greater differences in discounting between Q1 and Q2 for many categories. (Scroll down to read more about GfK’s Canadian print discount trends.)

Canadians Paid Less for Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Stoves – GfK Research

GfK captured almost 20,000 electronics print ads in H1 2016, with average discounts of 12%

Canadians purchasing refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, notebooks, and tablets received better deals in Q2 2016 than Q1, according to advertising tracking research by GfK.

Electronics manufacturers and retailers were actively incentivizing consumers with strong discounts in selected categories. GfK, which captures print electronics advertising throughout Canada, found 59% of ads in Q2 2016 offered discounts, with an average markdown of 12% in 13 categories tracked. This compares to 55% of ads in Q1 2016 with an average markdown of over 11% in the tracked categories.

In Canada, GfK’s Promotion and Causal Retail team found there were 9,178 print electronics advertisements in Q1 of 2016, and 10,550 in Q2 – almost 20,000 ads, with 11,200 (57%) offering savings. GfK also measures print discount advertising in the United States and 50 other countries.

Click here to request additional information from GfK’s print discount trends for H1 2016.

Almost half (46%) of all ads for digital cameras in H1 featured discounts, while French door refrigerators were marked down 70% of the time. The average discounts on French door refrigerators and digital; cameras were much the same – 13% and 14%, respectively.

Printers, dishwashers, and refrigerators also were frequently discounted – printers more so in Q1 (when 73% of ads featured markdowns, versus 59% in Q2). Savings on all refrigerators were higher on average in Q2 at roughly $313 versus $241 in Q1, while savings on notebooks were about $80 in Q2 versus $63 in Q1.

“By capturing the majority of print ad readership in Canada, we pick up critical trends down to the market, brand and retailer level,” said David Allen, head of commercial operations for GFK’s Promotion & Causal Retail business in North America. “We are seeing manufacturers in key categories continuing to aggressively leverage print to drive store visits and purchasing. We combined these findings with information on in-store and web promotion and pricing to provide clients with a 360° view on their positioning versus competitors and the ROI brands are after in their use of trade marketing dollars.”