RetailMeNot Unlocks the Secret to Valentine's Day in New Survey

65% of respondents would prefer a low-key dinner over going to an upscale or trendy restaurant on Valentine's Day

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Feb 03, 2015, 07:00 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This Valentine's Day, pinching your pennies won't land you in the doghouse! At least when it comes to your dinner plans. According to a recent survey by digital offers destination RetailMeNot (www.retailmenot.com), 65% of respondents would prefer a low-key dinner on Valentine's Day over going to an upscale or trendy restaurant. In fact, more women than men want to order takeout and stay home (34% vs. 23%), while more men than women prefer a gourmet dinner at an upscale restaurant on Valentine's Day (29% vs. 22%).

Wallets aren't getting off that easy!

Those surveyed who are in relationships are planning to spend an average of $148 on their significant other, up from $114 last year.* What's more, within this group, men plan on spending almost triple the amount that women plan to spend ($213 vs. $85)! Similar to last year, those who are in a relationship will most likely treat their significant other to a meal (20%), give them a card (16%), jewelry (11%), tickets (10%), flowers (10%) or electronics (9%).

The spending doesn't stop there, especially for those in love. Of people surveyed who have ever been in a relationship, 48% say they spend more money on entertainment when they are in a relationship than when they are not; 40% say they spend more money on personal grooming; and 43% said they spend more money on travel.

It looks as if those who are single this Valentine's Day should have some extra cash in their pockets! So why not treat yourself?

Americans surveyed say that if they were single they would most likely celebrate with friends (27%) or family (21%), pamper themselves (21%), treat themselves to a nice dinner (18%) or go on a date with someone new (16%). Be prepared to pay if you are the one to initiate that first date though. According to the survey, 49% of respondents feel that on a first date the person who initiated the date should pay. Only 35% believe that gender should determine who pays.

Deal-seeking isn't deal-breaking

RetailMeNot's Shoppers Trend Report revealed that only about 1 in 9 (12%) Americans surveyed would be turned off if their date used a coupon or deal to pay for dinner. However, a whopping 70% of those surveyed would be turned off if their date was rude to the waiter/waitress, 60% if their date drank too much alcohol and 59% if their date flirted with the waiter/waitress!

Now that the dos and don'ts are covered, all you need is a gift! Whether it is for your significant other, best friend, family member or even your pet, The Real Deal by RetailMeNot has you covered.

Report Methodologies

The RetailMeNot February 2015 Survey was conducted between December 26, 2014, and January 1, 2015, among 1,052 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an e-mail invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

*About 2013 Survey

An online study conducted between January 15 and January 22, 2014, among 1,007 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over; margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level

About RetailMeNot.com

RetailMeNot.com is a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money. Since November 2006, our users have shared hundreds of thousands of offers from retailers. These offers are voted on by users, ensuring that quality deals rise to the top and those that are expired drop down the list. RetailMeNot.com is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc., the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. Consumers can save more at their favorite stores by downloading the RetailMeNot app at http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/rmn-whats-new.html.

We're out to save the world (some money).™ Consumers can follow RetailMeNot on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ by visiting http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/websites.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.

RetailMeNot, Inc. operates the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers from their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended September 30, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 655 million visits to its websites, and during the three months ended September 30, 2014, monthly mobile unique visitors totaled 14.5 million. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offers marketplace in the United Kingdom; Deals.com in Germany; Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offers site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offers sites in France; Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offers site with cash back in France; and Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offers site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit http://investor.retailmenot.com.