Four in five Brits say cost of living has made them more determined to bag a bargain

Four in five Brits (79%) have become more committed during the cost-of-living crisis – to tracking down the best bargains when shopping, a survey has found.

Nearly half of Brits will try to bag themselves a bargain when shopping for clothes (49%) or insurance (48%), while 47% aim to seek out the best deals on food.

And two in five will only commit to a purchase if they feel they are getting a good deal – with 41% even going out of their way to get extras thrown in.

The poll, of 2,000 adults, found 14% feel “very comfortable” when it comes to negotiating a price down – with the average adult carrying around three loyalty reward cards.

And when it comes to shopping online, 31% will browse at least four different websites before making a purchase, to ensure they really have found the best price.

And respondents almost unanimously agreed (97%) that if they were shopping online, and a discount code didn't work at checkout – they would consider ditching their entire shopping basket.

Half of Brits are most likely to seek out the best deals when it comes to clothes shopping (SWNS)

Andrea Burchett, a managing director for Virgin Red, which commissioned the research, said: “There aren't many better feelings than landing yourself a brilliant deal.

“It can be difficult to keep track of all the various reward or loyalty schemes available.

“But the seriously savvy bargain hunters will be on top of this, and our results show shoppers would be more inclined to buy things if they knew they could earn points for their purchases.”

However, the study also found that adults are less likely to search for bargains on tickets for things like gigs or sporting events, or rail fares – thinking the prices are fairly set in stone.

But 11% will spend more than an hour shopping around to search for the best deal, before pulling the trigger on a purchase.

And 66% would also be “much more inclined” to buy something if they could earn reward points redeemable elsewhere.

More than a tenth of shoppers (13%) carry around six or more loyalty points cards, according to the OnePoll.com data – and are most likely to redeem these against food, followed by meals out, or small rewards like hot drinks.

But only one in five strongly feel they take maximum advantage of all the reward card points they’ve accrued.

Andrea Burchett, for Virgin Red, added: “There’s no bad time to start being more wary of your spending habits – but the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is definitely a good time to get into it.”

TOP WAYS ADULTS SPEND REWARD POINTS:

1. Food
2. Meals out
3. Small rewards, like coffees or hot drinks
4. Clothes
5. Days out, such as the zoo, cinema, or theme parks
6. Small household items
7. Hotels
8. Electronics
9. Flights
10. Cleaning products
11. Tickets for gigs or sporting events
12. Rail fares
13. Energy bills
14. White goods, such as a washing machine or fridge
15. Insurance