Dear Santa, All Consumers Want for the Holidays is a Better Economy - and to Shop in Their Pajamas

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new survey(1) conducted by independent market research firm Toluna on behalf of leading online retailer Buy.com®, the Internet Superstore, a better economy topped Americans' shopping list as the one gift they would pick for the world, with more than half of respondents (52 percent) listing an improved economic climate as their gift of choice, mirroring the optimistic outlook already starting to occur with improved holiday spending. 

The survey also examined shopping behavior during the holiday season, which resulted in a few surprising discoveries.  When respondents were asked why they shop online, nearly half (43 percent) of respondents liked the fact that they can shop while not fully dressed. Women outpaced men in preferring to shop in a state of undress (45 percent vs. 42 percent). 

Other survey highlights include:

• Wishes for the World – Other issues that were on American's wish list for the world include ending military involvement overseas so troops could return home (19 percent) and feeding starving people (10 percent).  The Occupy movement ranked low on consumers' wish lists with only eight percent of respondents citing success of the movement in ending corporate greed as their top gift for the world this season.
• Good Cheer to All (including ME!) – Holiday shopping doesn't just mean gift-giving to others; according to half of young women, ages 18-29 years old.  They plan to buy items for themselves, as well as for others on the gift list.
• Online + Offline, not Versus – Consumers continue to prefer the convenience of e-commerce, with the majority (61 percent) stating that they shop either completely online or at least half of their shopping is done online.
• I Got an App for That! – Nearly half of all respondents and the majority of young men ages 18-29 (80 percent) plan to use their mobile device for shopping.  Of those planning to mobile shop, researching product information was the top use by nearly half (47 percent) of respondents, followed by comparison shopping (45 percent) and consulting a family or friend about a product (43 percent).

"Consumers clearly want to see a change in our economic climate, and that is being demonstrated this holiday season in the increase in sales we are seeing," said Neel Grover, CEO and president of Buy.com. "In addition to aggressive rewards with our Super Points program, we are also offering promotional events to help consumers stretch their dollars this season."

Buy.com's Holiday Superstore is a one-stop online destination, where consumers can find great deals on holiday merchandise with ongoing promotional offers, such as:

• Computers Day (Tuesday, Dec. 13) – All laptops, personal computers and tablets will be severely discounted, and the majority will be offered with free shipping.
• Free Shipping (December) – To ensure the best experience for Holiday shoppers, Buy.com has expanded its free shipping on millions of products.
• Mobile App Cash Back (December) – Consumers can earn money toward future Buy.com purchases simply by using the Buy.com mobile app on their iPhone and Android devices.

Buy.com's extensive product listings span more than 22 product categories, including games, apparel and shoes, books, bags and luggage, fragrance, home and outdoor, software, sporting goods, jewelry and watches, toys and baby goods, and more. Buy.com will offer holiday promotions throughout the remainder of 2011 on virtually every product, plus a minimum of one percent cash back on every order through the Super Points program. Consumers also can access thousands of up-to-the-minute product reviews and other entertainment offerings exclusively on the BuyTV channel.

In addition to delivering one of the widest selections of products on the web, Buy.com is a leader in customer service, featuring free shipping on millions of products and an A+ rating for customer service from the Better Business Bureau. Buy.com makes shopping easier and more rewarding with new easy-to-use mobile apps and site, which debuted for the holiday season, making millions of products accessible anywhere, anytime.

To start shopping unbeatable deals, visit: http://www.buy.com/loc/holiday-superstore/16125.html.

About Buy.com
With more than 18 million customers, Buy.com is a leading retail marketplace, focused on providing its customers with a great shopping experience and a broad selection of retail goods at everyday low prices.  Buy.com offers millions of products in a range of categories, including consumer electronics, computer hardware and software, cell phones, books, music, DVDs, games, toys, bags, fragrance, home and outdoor, baby, jewelry, shoes, apparel and sporting goods.  Founded in June 1997, Buy.com is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif., and owned by Rakuten, Japan's leading Internet Company.  Together, Rakuten and Buy.com represent one of the world's largest online retail marketplaces, offering consumers more than 70 million products from nearly 37,000 merchants around the globe.

Buy.com® and The Internet Superstore™ are trademarks of Buy.com Inc. 

(1)  Survey methodology
Toluna, Inc. fielded the study on behalf of Buy.com on December 2, 2011 via its online omnibus service, interviewing a nationwide sample of 1,035 adults aged 18 years and older.  Data were weighted using propensity score weighting to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online.  Data for questions related to online use or behaviors were weighted specifically to the respective "online" populations.  No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

SOURCE Buy.com