Americans Beat Out 10 Other Countries Surveyed to Be "Most Worried About the Upcoming December Holidays"

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com), the largest digital coupon website in the United States, today released part two of its first-ever international study conducted by Ipsos (www.ipsos.com) revealing holiday shopping attitudes and behaviors among shoppers in 11 countries.

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"The U.S. holiday shopping season is being stretched out even longer than usual," says John Faith, the senior vice president of external affairs for RetailMeNot, Inc. "We found that Americans are spreading out purchases to lessen the burden on their finances by shopping earlier and more often. It's an interesting comparison to see that some European countries still wait until December and even, in some cases, after Christmas to do the majority of their shopping."

The Financial Burden of the Holidays

A significant portion of Americans surveyed are apprehensive about the upcoming holiday season. One in four (25%) U.S. shoppers are already worried about the cost of the December holidays, yet it appears for now that "retail therapy" reigns supreme. More than half (56%) of the U.S. consumers surveyed think they will spend about the same or more than they did last year on the December holidays.

Internationally, among those surveyed who plan on shopping for the holidays, the majority in Sweden (71%), Germany (64%) and Canada (59%) expect to spend about as much or more than they did last year during the holidays. In comparison, over 1 in 4 holiday shoppers in China (29%) and India (27%) indicated that they are likely to spend more than they did last year, compared to the international average of 9 percent.

On the flip side, nearly half of those surveyed in Italy (45%), as well as over a third in Australia (37%), Great Britain (36%), United States (35%) and France (35%) say they will probably spend less this year.

Get on the Good List Early This Year!

Of those surveyed who plan to shop for the holidays, 40% of Americans planned to start shopping before October. In addition, more than 1 in 5 (22%) holiday shoppers in the United States tend to buy products all year-round to spread out the cost—a smart idea for a modest holiday budget. Among those surveyed internationally who plan to shop for the holidays, consumers in Australia (42%) and India (41%) were the most likely to plan to shop before October.   

Why the wait? Shoppers in Sweden (47%) and the Netherlands (40%) are more likely than others to wait until December, before the holidays, to start their holiday shopping. And nearly 1 in 5 (18%) shoppers in Italy are planning to shop in December immediately after the holidays, incredibly high compared to the average of 5% for all countries surveyed.

Spending Your Holidays Online?

Among all countries surveyed, over 4 in 5 (84%) holiday shoppers plan to do at least some of their holiday shopping online, including over 2 in 10 (21%) who plan to do the majority of their shopping online. Online shopping is particularly prevalent in China (99%), Great Britain (95%), Germany (94%) and India (93%). Countries that will be doing the majority of shopping (over 50% or all of their shopping) online this holiday season include Great Britain (44%), China (40%) and Germany (33%). On the flip side, those in the Netherlands (69%), Italy (71%) and Canada (73%) are among the least likely to shop online at all this holiday season.

According to the survey, among U.S. holiday shoppers, it is expected that 9 in 10 (90%) will be doing at least some of their holiday shopping online, which is among the top internationally. There will even be 24% doing more than 50% of their shopping online for the holidays.

Survey Methodology:
The online survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs from June 10–24, 2013, among a total of 10,009 adults across 11 countries. This included roughly 1,000 interviews in each of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, India and China, and 500 interviews in Sweden and the Netherlands. Results are weighted to the general adult population ages 16–64 in each country (or in the U.S. and Canada, 18–64). 

About RetailMeNot.com

RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com) is the largest digital coupon site in the United States. Our mission is to help consumers save money and enjoy a hassle-free discount shopping experience. Since November 2006, our users have shared hundreds of thousands of digital coupons from retailers. Digital coupons are rated and ranked by users, ensuring that quality deals rise to the top and expired coupons drop down the list. RetailMeNot.com is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc., the world's largest marketplace for digital coupons.

Shopping on the go? Download the RetailMeNot Coupons app for iPhone and Android phones to access Hot Deals, browse top coupons, popular stores and categories and get thousands of online and in-store coupons to shop when you want, where you want. Make sure to "like" RetailMeNot.com and authorize the RetailMeNot app on Facebook, follow the company via Twitter @retailmenot and add us on Google+. Consumers can sign up for RetailMeNot's Online and In-Store Coupons Newsletter by visiting: http://www.retailmenot.com/signup. 

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest digital coupon marketplace. The company's websites enable consumers across the globe seeking to save money to find hundreds of thousands of digital coupons and offers from retailers and brands. RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 500 million visits to its websites in the last 12 months. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio of coupon and deal websites includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the leading digital coupon site in the United States; www.RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the leading digital coupon site in the United Kingdom; www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital coupon site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital coupon sites in France; www.Poulpeo.com, a leading digital coupon site with cash back in France; and www.Deals2Buy.com, a leading discount offer site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. went public in July 2013 and 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/.

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Media contacts:

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RetailMeNot, Inc.
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Christy Rabil
RetailMeNot, Inc.
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SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.