Study Shows Americans Prefer Online Sample Sales to Retail Stores

Over three in five consumers prefer shopping through flash sale sites

NEW YORK, March 18 -- A new study conducted by Kelton Research finds that over three in five Americans prefer to spend their money on discounted items online rather than purchase regular-priced items at retail stores.

These findings echo the increasing popularity of "flash sale sites," which are online retailers that offer consumers exclusive discounts on products for limited time or "flash" sale periods.

TOTSY.com, a flash sale site, brought its site to the U.S. after its executives contributed to the success of the first online flash sale site in France.

"It is not surprising that 63% of Americans prefer shopping via online sample sale sites like TOTSY.com, since they provide consumers with high quality products at prices they can afford in this economy," says Guillaume Gauthereau, CEO of TOTSY.com. "Just like Vente Privee pioneered in France, sites like TOTSY.com are changing the way consumers shop in every category from children's products and high end fashion to home décor and travel," he adds.

With an average discount of 50% off retail prices, consumers saved a combined amount of approximately $500 million in flash sales in 2009, and that number is expected to reach $1 Billion in 2010.

Source: TOTSY.com