As Holiday Gifting Challenges Abound, Groupon Provides Must-Needed
Assistance
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) (http://www.groupon.com)
today released the results of a new holiday shopping study, commissioned
by Groupon and conducted by Research Now, to better understand shoppers'
biggest gifting challenges in 2012. It may be no surprise that finding
the right gift is the biggest shopping challenge, but this year
consumers are stressing about gifts for casual flings, frenemies (a
friend who is also a rival) and those pesky folks who already have it
all.
Of the 1,001 respondents polled, which included Groupon subscribers and
people from the U.S. general online population, 60% reported that
finding the right gift is the top holiday shopping challenge, followed
by staying within budget (56%) and dealing with holiday crowds, long
lines and traffic (50%). Additional findings are as follows:
Most Difficult to Shop For
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Respondents think someone who has everything is the most difficult
person to shop for (68%) . . .
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. . . Followed by the unclassified love interest (not an official
significant other or ex) (33%)
-
Over ¼ of respondents said frenemies are the most difficult to shop for
Biggest Fears for Those Shopping for an Unclassified Love Interest
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Not knowing whether the recipient plans to give a gift in return (36%)
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Giving something that is too impersonal (28%)
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Women who have shopped/considered shopping for and unidentified love
interest appeared to struggle with this more than men
Let the Re-Gifting Begin
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Despite misguided tokens of affection at Valentine's Day or wedding
gifts not on the registry, the vast majority of respondents agreed
that the holidays are the #1 time of year when recipients are most
likely to get a bad gift
Gee Thanks
-
Ugly, ill-fitting and/or inappropriate clothing is the top unwanted
gift that people receive (30%). What do people do with their unwanted
gifts? A majority of respondents keep the gift but hide it away.
Remember that toilet bank you got from your uncle? It's probably still
in the attic where you left it ten years ago.
-
Respondents also provided a wealth of bad gift details, including:
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"I received a gun when I was expecting an engagement ring."
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"I was given a cheese basket—and I'm dairy free!"
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"A ceramic chicken."
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"My dad bought me car tires. It was something I needed but kinda
made me sad."
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"Household items—things I have to DUST."
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"I got flowers from an ex. I hate flowers."
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"One glove."
-
"Bright orange poncho dress."
Top Challenges for Women vs. Men: Ladies Plan, Men Pine
-
Women are more likely to cite "staying within budget" and "finding the
right gift" as top challenges around the holiday season
-
Men are more likely to have purchased or considered a gift for an ex
(ex-girlfriend, ex-wife, etc.)
GROUPON HOLIDAY RELIEF
This season, Groupon is proud to provide consumers with some much needed
assistance and advice in addition to a wide variety of high quality
items and experiences at unbeatable prices. To provide relief and
assistance during this hectic time, Groupon has developed three
different ways to get help—online, through social media and live and in
person—including:
Groupon Gift Finder
Groupon's first-ever Gift Finder—at http://www.groupon.com/gifts—takes
the guesswork out of making gift decisions. After answering three simple
questions about the giftee, the Gift Finder searches through thousands
of deals throughout Groupon to display the perfect options.
Real-Time Gift Suggestions
Groupon also debuts real-time gift suggestions via its Twitter account,
@groupon. Simply tweet using the #groupongifts hashtag and tell us who
you're looking for, where they live and what they're into.
Grouponcierges
The Grouponcierges are Groupon's resident holiday gift-giving experts.
They're a wealth of knowledge on all things Groupon gifting and how to
deal with the toughest people to buy for on your list this season. The
Grouponcierges are currently touring the country to make local
television and radio appearances, all in an effort to spread holiday
cheer and give consumers helpful holiday tips. To book a Grouponcierge
for an interview, email press@groupon.com.
About Groupon
Groupon
(NASDAQ: GRPN) is a global leader in local commerce, making it easy for
people around the world to search and discover great businesses at
unbeatable prices. Groupon is reinventing the traditional small business
world by providing merchants with a suite of products and services,
including customizable deal campaigns, credit
card payments processing capabilities and point-of-sale
solutions to help them attract more customers and run their
operations more effectively. By leveraging the company's global
relationships and scale, Groupon offers consumers incredible deals on
the best stuff to eat, see, do, and buy in 48 countries. With Groupon,
shoppers discover the best a city has to offer with Groupon
Local, enjoy vacations with Groupon
Getaways, and find a curated selection of electronics, fashion, home
furnishings and more with Groupon
Goods. To subscribe to Groupon emails, visit www.Groupon.com.
To learn more about the company's merchant
solutions and how to work
with Groupon, visit www.GrouponWorks.com.
About the Study
The Groupon sponsored online survey was sent via email invitation to
random samples of Groupon subscribers and the U.S. online general
population. The general population sample received an unbranded version
of the survey, which was sent by a third party on Groupon's behalf. The
results are an aggregate of 1,001 responses total (500 general
population respondents completed the survey and 501 Groupon subscribers
completed it).
Groupon
Tim DeClaire, 312-459-5720
tdeclaire@groupon.com
Source: Groupon
News Provided by Acquire Media