Press Releases

Nearly Half of Adults Have Used In-Store Coupons or Online Promotional Codes when Holiday Shopping this Season
A Majority Still Have a Fair Amount of Shopping to Do, with 20% Waiting to Find Last Minute Deals

Austin, TX and New York, NY, December 15, 2011 – Few adults have already completed all of their holiday shopping, leaving many shoppers with gifts still to buy, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com). Just 16% of adults surveyed claimed to have finished all of their shopping.

24% of adults surveyed reported that they are at least three quarters done with their holiday shopping, but still have a few more things to buy, while 12% reported that they are at least halfway done. Still, a plurality (33%) reported that they’ve done less than a quarter of their holiday shopping and that they still have a lot to buy. Another nine percent have bought some things but still have a lot on their shopping list. Six percent report that they are not doing any holiday shopping.

• Men (46%) and adults under 55 (45%) are among those most likely to have much of their shopping still to do. A minority of those adults surveyed appear to be strategically delaying their holiday shopping, as one in five adults (20%) say that they are waiting to make big purchases for the holiday shopping season because they are anticipating last minute deals. Still, 79% say that this is not the case.

• Midwesterners (34%), part-time workers (33%), those with a household income of $25,000 or less (28%), and adults under 35 (27%) are among those most likely to say that they are waiting until the last minute to shop in hopes of finding great deals. When it comes to holiday shopping budgets, nearly half of those adults surveyed (47%) are spending about as much as they expected. Of the adults surveyed, more are likely to be spending less than planned (31%) than they are to be going over-budget (15%), 5% are not buying any gifts for their loved ones this holiday season, and 2% were unsure about their holiday spending.

• Parents are less likely to be coming in under-budget than are adults without a child under 18 (25% vs. 34%).

• Those with a household income of $25,000 or less are more likely to be spending less than expected than are more affluent adults (47% vs. 25%). Coupons may be helping shoppers stay on budget, as nearly half (47%) of adults surveyed report that they have used a printable coupon in-store or online promotion code when shopping on the Internet to get deals such as a “certain percentage off,'”“certain dollar amount off,” “buy 1, get one free,” or ”free shipping.” At the same time, a majority (53%) may be overlooking these savings opportunities.

• College graduates (62%), full-time workers (56%), those with a household income of at least $25,000 (56%), and women (53%) are among those more likely to have used an in-store coupon or online promotional code when a purchasing gift.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted December 9-12, 2011. For the poll, a nationally representative sample of 1,000 randomly-selected adults aged 18 and over residing in the U.S. were interviewed by telephone via Ipsos’ U.S. Telephone Express omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within
±3.1 percentage points. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/gender composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos na.com/news/

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About RetailMeNot.com

RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com) is the leading consumer destination for collaborative online coupon, deal and promotional code hunting and sharing. Our mission is to help consumers save money and enjoy a hassle-free discount shopping experience. Since November 2006, our users have shared millions of deals at more than 140,000 merchants. Online 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 WhaleShark Media, Inc., the world's leading marketplace for online coupons and deals.

Make sure to "like" RetailMeNot.com on Facebook and follow the company via Twitter @retailmenot.

About WhaleShark Media, Inc.

WhaleShark Media, Inc. (www.whalesharkmedia.com) is the world’s leading marketplace for online coupons and deals. The company’s websites enable consumers seeking to save money to find hundreds of thousands of offers from retailers across the globe. WhaleShark Media welcomes more than 300 million visitors to shop its sites every year. The WhaleShark Media portfolio of coupon and deal websites includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the largest online coupon site in the United States; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest online coupon site in Europe; www.Deals.com; www.Deals2Buy.com; www.CouponSeven.com; www.CouponShare.com; and www.Gutschein Codes.de. WhaleShark Media is a fast-growing, profitable company funded by venture capital firms Austin Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Adams Street Partners, Google Ventures, J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Institutional Venture Partners (IVP).

 

About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals that helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world. Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends to develop and test emergent or © 2011, Ipsos Public Affairs Page 4 existing products or services, and build brands. They also test advertising and study audience responses to various media, and measure public opinion around the globe. They help clients create long-term relationships with their customers, stakeholders or other constituencies. Ipsos member companies offerexpertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting and offers a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2010, Ipsos generated global revenues of €1,140.8 million ($1.6 billion U.S.). Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.

Media Contacts:

RetailMeNot PR Department

media@rmn.com

 

Rebecca Sizelove
Senior Research Manager, Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 212 584 9253
rebecca.sizelove@ipsos.com


Media Contacts

North America
RetailMeNot PR Department
Media Inquiries: +1 512 777 2957
France
Jordy Mongin
RetailMeNot, France