Canon Digital Elph is hottest item on weekly Elf Alert gift rankings, followed by Wii Fit, iPods, GPS receivers, Bluetooth headsets, and cordless phones

NORWALK, Conn., Dec. 3, 2008 - With visions of Black Friday and Cyber Monday dancing through their heads, Santa's helpers at Shoppers Advantage - a leading national online discount shopping service - are making their list and checking it twice with a weekly Elf Alert, a ranking of the hottest gifts of the holiday season. 

Even with a 7.2 percent growth in Black Friday weekend sales this year and a surge in Cyber Monday spending, the challenging economy, struggling housing market and rising unemployment have retailers preparing for the slowest holiday shopping season in 10 years. In light of the economy, more cash-strapped consumers are comparison shopping and deal hunting, searching online to find the lowest prices on hot ticket items. With more consumers aggressively seeking low prices, the popularity of online shopping is rising. Shoppers Advantage is poised to see its orders rise this year, by providing low prices on hot electronics, housewares, appliances, toys, and everyday items.

"Budget conscious consumers are looking for great deals and discounts during a volatile economy, including the latest electronic gadgets, home furnishings, jewelry and gifts for the children," said Brad Eggleston, vice president of Shoppers Advantage. 

To help track the hottest gifts this season, Shoppers Advantage has created the 2008 Elf Alert, a weekly ranking of the hottest gifts in the land. 

Here are this week's best sellers:

1. Canon Digital Elph 8 mega pixel camera


2. Nintendo Wii Fitness w/balance board


3. Apple iPod Touch, 16 GB


4. Apple iPod Nano, 8 GB


5. Garmin Nuvi 255 GPS receiver


6. Motorola H375 Bluetooth headset


7. Apple iPod Touch, 8 GB


8. Tomtom One automotive GPS unit with 3.5-inch LCD


9. Panasonic KXTG cordless phone with three handsets


10. Apple iPod Classic, 120 GB

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), discount shopping and online shopping are both on the rise this year. Nearly 70 percent of consumers plan to shop at discount stores this season, according to the NRF, and the Internet will influence 33.6 percent of purchases in 2008, up from 30.2 percent last year and 28.9 percent in 2006.  A survey released this week by Shop.org revealed 84.6 million consumers would shop online during Cyber Monday, up from 72 million in 2007 and 60.7 million in 2006.

Shoppers Advantage offers online shopping, which means significant savings for consumers. The company's special partnerships with manufacturers allow club members to save 10-50 percent off manufacturers' list prices.  Members also receive 3.5 percent cash back on their purchases, just for shopping online, as well as a 60-day low price guarantee which offers them a 200 percent refund of the purchase price difference if they are able to find an item elsewhere for less. 

Consumers can also give the gift of savings to their friends and family by giving a membership to Shoppers Advantage or other membership clubs such as www.greatfunonline.com or www.travelersadvantage.com where they can save on entertainment and travel.

About Shoppers Advantage
Shoppers Advantage, www.shoppersadvantage.com, is a leading membership-based, toll-free/online shop-at-home service, boasting the buying power of millions of members nationwide.  Shoppers Advantage provides valuable benefits and low prices on an expansive database of high-quality products from more than 1,000 manufacturers, including popular name brands such as Sharp, GE, Hewlett Packard, Fisher Price and AT&T.  Shoppers Advantage offers member confidence in buying with a 200 percent Low Price Guarantee (if a lower price is found within 60 days of purchase, Shoppers Advantage will refund double the price difference), 60-day product return policy if you don't like the product, and product warranty extension for up to two years while membership is active. Shoppers Advantage is offered by Affinion Group, a leader in the membership, insurance and loyalty marketing businesses, providing products and services that touch the lives of millions of Americans.

About Affinion Group
As a global leader with almost 40 years of experience, Affinion Group (www.affinion.com) enhances the value of its partners' customer relationships by developing and marketing loyalty solutions. Leveraging its expertise in customer engagement, product development and targeted marketing, Affinion provides programs in subscription-based lifestyle services, personal protection, insurance and other areas to help generate increased customer loyalty and significant incremental revenue for more than 5,550 marketing partners worldwide, including many of the largest and most respected companies in financial services, retail, travel, and Internet commerce. Based in Stamford, Conn., the company has approximately 4,250 employees and markets in 17 countries globally. Affinion holds the prestigious ISO 27001 certification for the highest information security practices, is PCI compliant and Cybertrust certified.

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