Brits No Longer Trust “Sales” and Discounts

86% of Brits believe products that are advertised as discounted or “on offer” don’t offer the best value, according to new research.

Following one of the busiest January sales periods to date, research conducted by ultrafast broadband provider, YouFibre, shows a major shift in how shoppers view promotions and sales.

In fact, more than one in 10 believe that the majority of advertised deals are deliberately misleading and almost a third (31%) think they’ve been duped by fake ‘discounts’ or ‘offers’ in the last three years. This number rises to 57% amongst 18-24-year-olds.

The research found that the most common reason for consumers feeling misled is because they saw the product or service being advertised at a cheaper rate at other times of the year (30%). Pressure tactics to encourage panic buying, advertised deals being unavailable, and in-contract price increases were also amongst the most common tricks shoppers have fallen foul of.

With mid-contract price rises becoming commonplace amongst the UK’s biggest utility providers, it’s no surprise that Brits believe broadband providers are most guilty of advertising misleading offers. This looks likely to continue into 2024, with Martin Lewis already warning consumers that broadband and mobile giants, such as BT and EE, will be increasing their price by up to 7.9% this year.

These findings, alongside a report from Which? which revealed that only 2% of products were at their cheapest last Black Friday, mean it’s no surprise Brits are falling out of love with the sales. In fact, almost a third (31%) investigate offers and discounts more thoroughly than they did three years ago, whilst less than a quarter (24%) wait for a product or service to be on offer before purchasing.

This trend is being mirrored in online searches, with analysis demonstrating there’s been a significant drop in Google searches for sales at the UK’s most popular brands, such as Next and John Lewis, over the last five years.

Instead, Brits are favouring long-term value, with the research finding that fair pricing all year round is now shoppers’ top priority when choosing a company to buy from. In fact, 86% of Brits would rather be reassured that the price they’re paying won’t increase mid-contract than have a good introductory offer. Yet, just 11% think most household brands offer fair pricing all year round.

Commenting on the research, Managing Director of YouFibre, Ryan Battle, said: “We believe everyone deserves access to fair pricing all year round, whatever they’re buying. So, it’s disappointing to find that so many shoppers have been deliberately duped by misleading discounts and offers. It’s no wonder Brits are becoming more sceptical when it comes to shopping the sales and instead favouring long-term value they can rely on.

“Thankfully, there are some easy ways to help identify misleading deals. For example, there are a handful of sites that can track the price of items so you know if the product or service you’re about to buy has genuinely been discounted. It’s also crucial to always read the T&Cs, particularly when buying a subscription service or utility. More and more companies are adding hidden charges to their contracts, including installation costs, mid-contract price rises, or even unexpected interest so be vigilant!”

To help Brits shop more savvily, YouFibre has put together a complete guide for spotting misleading deals.