“Saving money on gifts is also in vogue with 80% of consumers in a romantic relationship saying that they would be ‘happy’ if their significant other used a coupon to help save money on their gift purchase this holiday.”
“The Ipsos Survey showed that the sluggish economy is still a factor in consumer’s gift-giving plans. Nearly a fourth of consumers stated that they don’t intend to spend any money this Valentine’s Day on their significant other, and more than 50% intend to spend $100 or less,” said Kate Sperber, Vice President, Merchandising, WhaleShark Media, Inc., the operator of RetailMeNot.com. “Saving money on gifts is also in vogue with 80% of consumers in a romantic relationship saying that they would be ‘happy’ if their significant other used a coupon to help save money on their gift purchase this holiday.”
As expected, based on RetailMeNot’s own internal data, top flower and candy merchants are seeing a surge in activity. Sites that sell candy are experiencing almost 3.5 times their typical traffic relative to overall site activity while sites that sell flowers are experiencing almost 3 times their normal traffic relative to overall site activity. However, RetailMeNot.com’s Valentine’s Day Survey, conducted by Ipsos (www.ipsos.com), found that men just don’t seem to be in tune with the wants and desires of their significant other this holiday. The greatest disconnect being men who plan to purchase their significant other candy or a romantic night out on the town. The survey showed that 33% of men intended to buy their significant other candy, with only 20% of women actually wanting this for Valentine’s Day – a 13 point gap. A similar disparity existed for men planning to take their significant other out for a romantic night on the town, like dinner and a movie (38% of men said that they would do it this year, with only 25% of women wanting a night out).
While men are overcompensating with gifts of candy and dinner reservations, they are falling short in terms of delivering jewelry. The survey shows 21% of women preferred gifts of jewelry, while only 16% of male respondents said they intended to purchase jewelry for Valentine’s Day.
The RetailMeNot.com-Ipsos survey found that:
- 24% of consumers intend to spend nothing on their significant other this Valentine’s Day, and more than 50% plan to spend $100 or less.
- Only 11% said that they would spend $100 or more on their significant other for Valentine’s Day.
- For anyone who feared that using a coupon to help reduce the cost of a Valentine’s Day gift would be ill received by their significant other as being “cheap,” 80% of respondents in relationships said that they would be “happy” if their significant other used a coupon to save money this Valentine’s Day.
- When asking men what they intended to buy for their significant other; and then inquiring as to what women wanted for Valentine’s Day, respondents said the following:
- Jewelry: 21% of women were hoping they would receive jewelry for Valentine’s Day, but only 16% of men intended to buy their significant other jewelry for the holiday.
- Candy: 33% of men intended to purchase candy or chocolate for their significant other, while only 20% of women wanted candy or chocolate.
- Romantic Night Out (e.g., dinner and a movie): 38% of men said they would take their significant other out for the night, while only 25% of women wanted a romantic night on the town.
- Flowers: 32% of men intended to purchase flowers for Valentine’s Day for their significant other, while only 27% of women want flowers.
- Cards: 38% of men said they intend to buy a Valentine’s Day card, and 36% of women said they wanted a card for the holiday.
- Finally, 12% of respondents to the survey reported that they “do not have a significant other” for Valentine’s Day.
A review of January 2012 Performance Data on RetailMeNot.com also found that:
- Visits to RetailMeNot.com and its affiliated online coupon and deal websites in January 2012 increased by more than 30% year-over-year.
- Top States for Online Coupons Usage1.
- The top states in terms of % of internet users in that state, which visited RetailMeNot.com: New York (1), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (3).
- The state with the least amount in terms of % of internet users in that state, which visited RetailMeNot.com: Wyoming (50), Alaska (49), Mississippi (48).
- The average reported savings by users in January 2012 increased by more than 10% year over year to more than $21 per purchase.
Consumers seeking to find discounts on Valentine’s Day products can find coupons and offers on RetailMeNot.com by visiting:http://www.retailmenot.com/offers/valentinesday/.
Methodology for Ipsos Survey
This is a finding from an Ipsos poll conducted February 2-6, 2012. For the survey, a nationally representative sample of 1,003 randomly-selected adults aged 18 and over residing in the U.S. was 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.
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 hundreds of thousands of deals and offers from retailers from across the globe. 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).
1 Based on RetailMeNot.com visitors as % of state internet-using population. Excludes D.C.
