Among a variety of holiday specials and shopping tactics, store coupons and free-shipping offers were the two incentives most used by shoppers during the fourth-quarter 2009 holiday-shopping season, according to a survey from MARC Research.

Nearly one-half of shoppers surveyed said they took advantage of store coupons (46%) or free online shipping (45%) when they shopped for gifts in the fourth quarter.

Shoppers wanted instant gratification: In addition to free shipping, shoppers were most attracted to offers that provided immediate savings, such as "buy one, get one half-price" offers (37%) and instant rebates (31%).

Below, other finding from the Checkout, Inside the In-Store Experience study, which surveyed consumers on their experiences shopping during the fourth quarter of 2009.

Everyday Shopping Goals

Shoppers have adopted a more utilitarian view of shopping—looking to get everything in a single trip (26%), without overspending (24%), and with little regard for being entertained (2%).

Shoppers have also realized they might have to change their shopping behaviors to adjust for continuing recessionary conditions. For example, 11% of shoppers have taken to quick fill-in trips to avoid larger grocery receipts and impact on the family budget.

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