The No. 1 site for online shopping deals?

This post comes from Quentin Fottrell at partner site SmartMoney.

As shoppers prepare for the holiday season, there's one question they're all pondering: "Which retailer will give me the best value for my money?"

Most seem to think the answer is Amazon.

In a recent survey, 87% of visitors to sale-tracking site Dealnews.com said they think Amazon offers the best deals. Dealnews says its data backs that up, too. So far this year, site editors have identified 8,996 Amazon "deals" -- offers they considered worthwhile -- making it the most deal-friendly online retailer.

In comparison, runner-up Wal-Mart had just 3,144 sales the editors classified as deals, and third-place Sears had 1,027. To crunch the numbers, Dealnews says it monitored the "frequency and value" of the discounts of the nation's top 20 retailers, comparing them with competitors' current and past offers for the same item, says senior content editor Alison Barretta. (To see the full top 10 list, click here.)

But take the deal classification with a grain of salt, says Steve Frenda, a managing director at marketing firm Path to Purchase Institute. Online retailers like Amazon have an advantage with Internet polls because the only respondents are online and are more likely to be heavy Internet shoppers.

"Dollar General and Family Dollar stores are smokin' hot right now," he says. "But they are based in rural and lower income areas." And even if you think Amazon is likely to have the best price, it's always worth doing a fast comparison on a site like PriceGrabber or Google before filling your cart.

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Other marketing experts say Amazon has earned its perception as the deal leader by selling a broader range of products, which helps strengthen its brand loyalty among a more diverse demographic. (Hello, $79 Kindles and cheaper-than-Netflix​ streaming video.) Post continues after video.

Amazon ranked No. 1 for customer loyalty in a recent survey from marketing consultancy Brand Keys, beating out Apple and Facebook, which placed second and third, respectively.

What's more, 75% of those consumers were surveyed by phone, and another 20% in person, ensuring a wider range of shoppers polled, says Robert Passikoff, the founder and president of Brand Keys. "Deal-making only accounts for a portion of what will ultimately drive sales," he says. "Amazon is fast becoming the default online retailer store."

What store do you believe will have the best deals this holiday season?

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