From a recent survey performed by InComm titled “InComm’s 2018 Holiday Shopping Index” they asked over 2,000 consumers if … “they are getting what they truly want as a gift?” Key findings from the survey point out three specific items:
- “In our 2018 Holiday Shopping Index, we found that gift giving is the number one holiday activity with 65 percent of respondents indicating they will participate this holiday season. Out of 12 different gifting categories that holiday shoppers could choose from, gift cards and clothing were the top picks for holiday gift givers this year. This new data shows that the most requested gift – gift cards – is being met by gift givers.”
- “Sending the gift card in a greeting card and combining the gift card with another gift tied for the top choice as the preferred way to give a gift card representing 66 percent of responses. Another 12 percent of respondents give the gift card with a homemade item.”
- “Close to 40 percent of the respondents indicated that shopping in store gets them in the holiday mood. Another 20 percent said they might come across something in store they wouldn’t find online, an interesting finding that shows that gift givers are motivated to shop in store to ensure they are aware of all viable gifting options.”
The most enlightening finding is pairing a gift card with another gift, which totally makes sense, it’s a little bit of both and everyone knows how we all like choice. An additional trend is multi-merchant gift cards based on a theme, allowing the recipient to spend their card amongst several retailers, using one or all for redemption.
With the holiday season quickly approaching consumers can feel positive about giving gift cards and know that the recipient truly will enjoy them.
Overview by Sue Brown, Director, Prepaid Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group