Selfless Giving Shifts to Selfish Shopping Post-Holidays: More Than Half of Consumers Plan to Shop for Themselves During After-Christmas Sales

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Even after the holiday craziness is over, the shopping continues! According to two recent surveys by digital offers destination RetailMeNot, the majority of consumers surveyed (81%) plan to shop end-of-year sales, and of these shoppers taking advantage of post-holiday savings, more than half (63%) plan to shop for themselves! Millennials are especially interested in after-Christmas sales, as 92% of respondents 18 to 34 years old said they plan to shop during this time. 

While lower prices (66%) and deals (59%) are top motivators for end-of-year shopping, nearly a quarter (23%) of survey respondents indicate they shop post-holiday sales because they are ready to indulge on themselves after completing their shopping for others. And selfish shoppers are not sparing any expense – these consumers are willing to spend an average of $160 on themselves and $179 on gifts for others. Men plan to spend substantially more on themselves during end-of-year sales than women ($197 vs. $131).

What is your return policy?

Returning holiday gifts is on the decline! According to the survey, only 32% of shoppers indicated they typically return gifts that they receive from family and friends for the holidays. In 2013, close to half (45%) of shoppers admitted to typically returning gifts.*

When it comes to returns, respondents prefer to get money back from the store (40%). Less favored were getting gift cards/certificates (16%), exchanges for other items at the store (13%) and store credit (11%).

Gift cards reign supreme

Although once considered an impersonal gift choice, almost half (46%) of survey respondents say their favorite holiday present to receive is a gift card. Proving their popularity, more than 9 in 10 (91%) November survey respondents have received a gift card at least once as a holiday present. These recipients don't waste time cashing them in either! More than 4 in 5 (84%) would not let their holiday gift cards go unused past January.

However, more than half of those who received a gift card don't actually use it on themselves. Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) surveyed in November have used a gift card they received to purchase a present for someone else and more than 1 in 4 (27%) have gifted a card they received to another person. Women are more likely to use gift cards to buy someone else a present, with 44% of women admitting to doing this versus 32% of men. Other respondents have either sold the gift card for the cash equivalent (11%) or used a gift card exchange site (9%).

To make the most of after-Christmas sales, consumers can visit RetailMeNot.com or download the RetailMeNot Coupons app for iPhone, Android and iPad, to access thousands of offers that can be used online or in-store to save money. Additionally, The Real Deal by RetailMeNot posts a roundup of Can't Miss Coupons every week here: http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/best-coupons-of-the-week.html

References to survey results are to the December survey, unless otherwise noted.

Report Methodologies:

The RetailMeNot November survey was conducted between November 17 and November 20, 2014, among 1,006 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 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.

The RetailMeNot December survey was conducted between December 6 and December 15, 2014, among 1,050 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 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 the December 2013 Survey

The December 2013 Survey was conducted between November 21 and November 26, 2013, among 1,022 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an email 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 RetailMeNot.com 
RetailMeNot.com (http://www.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. (http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) 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. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been downloaded over 18.5 million times. 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.

Media contacts:

RetailMeNot PR Department
+1 512 777 2957
[email protected]

Allison+Partners Public Relations
[email protected]

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SOURCE RetailMeNot

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