[December 13, 2012]

Online Social Shopping Trends Among College Students Mirror National Trends

According to a recent survey conducted by SheerID, online shopping is up 13% year over year among college students. In 2011, 64% of college students reported they had shopped online within the last 30 days. This week SheerID announced that in 2012, 77% of college students reported they have shopped online within the last 30 days. This growth mimics the growth of online shopping across all populations this year, as more consumers choose to shop from their computers, tablets, and smartphones instead of in stores.

Social shopping is also on the rise, both among consumers nationwide and the college demographic. 13% more students turn to Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter for news of student discounts and deals in 2012 than 2011. This year, 63% say they've learned about student discounts on Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert) and 98% recommend retailers use the popular social networks to reach college students.

Jen Anderson, a student at the University of Oregn, explains the rising popularity of social shopping among college students this way, "When students see legitimate shopping activity from their friends on their news feeds, they are more inclined to trust the offer."

Jake Weatherly, CEO of SheerID, shares his take on the findings, "All of our research and experiences show that an exclusive, targeted offers that can easily be redeemed online is the best way to capture college students' attention, gain market share, and win their loyalty."

For the full survey results, or to learn more about how to reach college students with exclusive discounts and offers, contact SheerID directly.

About SheerID

SheerID is the creator of the technology used to transform existing, protected private data into a service that benefits commercial enterprises and the public, while still keeping the information safe and secure. By acting as a bridge between secure databases, SheerID allows commercial enterprises to accurately, instantly verify whether or not their customer qualifies for a special discount like student, active duty military, veteran, or teacher discounts- protecting the discount and eliminating fraud. SheerID's verification plug-in can be configured for any e-commerce website, internal customer sales system, mobile application, or POS.

For more information on SheerID's college student enrollment verification solutions, call 855-SheerID to speak directly to a representative, email info(at)sheerid(dot)com, or visit http://www.sheerid.com.

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