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Gift Card Buying Trends: Shopper Intentions and Purchase Behaviors 2009

A Hartman Group and National Research Network shopper insights report

Gift card purchases continue to increase even in the face of an economic downturn, but what does this mean for specific channels of retail such as grocery, entertainment, restaurants and others?

Gift Card Buying Trends explores who buys gift cards, when, where, why and how. It compares shoppers' intentions pre-holiday 2008 with their holiday gift card purchase behaviors to determine what was actually spent, the types of card bought, the occasions for gift card giving (and receiving) and to predict what may be in store for the 2009 holiday shopping season.

The report looks at consumer attitudes and behaviors across a variety of demographic indicators to cover topics including:

• Shoppers’ gift card spending behavior pre-and post 2008 holiday
• Gift card buyers based on a proprietary segmentation comparing “optimists” and “pessimists” in terms of outlook on the current economy
• Demographic differences between gift card buyers
• The most popular types of gift cards
• Overall attitudes toward gift cards (giving and receiving)
• Top occasions for gift card purchases (giving and receiving)
• Channel analysis and broad usage among merchants (including multiple gift card racks or kiosk—gift card malls)
• Length of time shoppers hold onto gift cards before redemption
• Shopper tendency to spend more or less than the gift card amount

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter I. Key Findings - Ten Key Findings

Chapter II. Views on the Economy
- Optimists vs. Pessimists

Chapter III. Consumer Purchasing Behavior
- Demographics of Consumers Who Purchase Gift Cards
- Demographics of Gift Card Recipients
- Most Popular Types of Gift Cards
- Occasions for Giving Gift Cards
- 2008 November / December Holiday Season
- Purchasing Process
- Gift Card Kiosks
- Gift Card Promotions

Chapter IV. Consumer Attitudes
- Receiving Gift Cards
- Giving Gift Cards

Chapter V. Gift Card Usage
- Spending Behavior at Time of Redemption
- Types of Items Purchased with Gift Cards
- Length of Time Consumers Wait before Redeeming Gift Cards
- Re-Loadable Gift Cards

Chapter VI. Future Gift Card and Gifting Trends
- Expected Change in Spend on Gift Cards
- Expected Change in Spend on Gifts, in General
- Types of Gifts Consumers Are Likely to Purchase More Frequently
- Demographics of Future Gift Card Purchasers
- Types of Gift Cards Consumers Are Likely to Purchase
- Future Gift Card Recipients
- Occasions for Purchasing Gift Cards over the Next Year

Chapter VII. Recommandations

Appendix I . Methodology
- Quantitative Methodology

List of Figures & Tables

Figure 1. Current Household Income Compared to Household Income 6 Months Ago (Among Optimists and Pessimists)

Figure 2. Expected Household Income 6 Months from Now Compared to Current Household Income (Among Optimists and Pessimists)

Figure 3. Current Spending Habits Compared to Spending Habits 6 Months Ago (Among Optimists and Pessimists)

Figure 4. Percent of Consumers Who Bought a Gift Card over a 12 Month Period (Among All Consumers)

Figure 5. Average Amount Consumers Spent per Gift Card over the Past 12 Months by Household Income (Among Consumers Who Purchased a Gift Card within the Past 12 Months)

Figure 6. Gift Card Spending Over the Past 12 Months Compared to the Previous 12 Months (Among All Consumers)

Figure 7. For Whom Consumers Bought a Gift Card(s) in the Past 12 Months (Among Consumers Who Purchased a Gift Card in the Past 12 Months)

Figure 8. Types of Gift Cards Purchased over a 12 Month Period (Among All Consumers)

Figure 9. Types of Gift Cards Purchased over a 12 Month Period (Among Consumers Who Purchased a Gift Card over a 12 Month Period)

Figure 10. Percent of Consumers Who Bought a Re-loadable Gift Card within the Past 12 Months

Figure 11. Occasion(s) for Purchasing Gift Cards (Among Consumers Who Purchased a Gift Card over a 12 Month Period)

Figure 12. Whether Consumers Bought a Gift Card for the 2008 November / December Holiday Season (Among All Consumers)

Figure 13. Level of Agreement with Statements about Gift Cards (Among Consumers Who Buy / Receive Gift Cards)

Figure 14. Types of Gift Cards Purchased for the 2008 November / December Holiday Season vs. the Past Year (Among All Consumers)

Figure 15. Level of Agreement with Statements about Gift Cards (Among Consumers Who Purchased a Gift Card within the Past 12 Months)

Figure 16. Number of Gift Cards Purchased From a Gift Card Kiosk, Among All Cards Bought within Past 12 Months (Among Consumers Who Purchased a Gift Card within the Past Year)

Figure 17. Locations at Which Consumers Purchase Gift Cards from Multiple Gift Card Racks (Among Consumers Who Purchased at Least One Gift Card from a Multiple Gift Card Rack over a 12 Month Period)

Figure 18. Reasons for Purchasing a Gift Card from a Multiple Gift Card Rack within the Past Year (Among Consumers Who Purchased at Least One Gift Card from a Multiple Gift Card Rack within the Past Year)

Figure 19. Percent of Consumers Who Are Likely to Purchase One Type of Gift Card over Another Type if There Was a Promotion Taking Place (Among Consumers Who Buy and/or Receive Gift Cards)

Figure 20. Likeliness to Travel to the Retailer / Restaurant to Buy a Gift Card(s) Rather than a Kiosk if the Retailer / Restaurant Were Offering a Promotion on Gift Cards (Among Consumers Who Purchased at Least One Gift Card from a Kiosk within the Past Year)

Figure 21. Whether Consumers Like to Receive Gift Cards (Among All Consumers)

Figure 22. Whether Consumers Like to Give Gift Cards (Among All Consumers)

Figure 23. Level of Agreement with the Following Statement: “I hesitate to buy gift cards due to extra fees.” (Among Consumers Who Buy / Receive Gift Cards)

Figure 24. Level of Agreement with the Following Statement: “I hesitate to buy gift cards due to expiration dates for usage of the cards.” (Among Consumers Who Buy / Receive Gift Cards)

Figure 25. Consumers’ Typical Spending Behavior When Using a Gift Card (Among Consumers Who Have Ever Owned a Gift Card)

Figure 26. Length of Time Consumers Typically Hold Onto Gift Cards before Spending Them (Among Consumers Who Received a Gift Card in the Past 12 Months)

Figure 27. Whether Consumers Have Reloaded the Gift Card Since Receiving It (Among Consumers Who Received a Re-Loadable Gift Card within the Past 12 Months)

Figure 28. Expected Change in Total Spend on Gift Cards over the Next 12 Months Compared to the Past 12 Months (Among All Consumers Who Buy Gift Cards)

Figure 29. Expected Change in Total Spend on Gifts over the Next 12 Months Compared to the Past 12 Months (Among All Consumers Who Buy Gifts)

Figure 30. Types of Gifts Consumers Are Planning to Give More Often in the Next 12 Months Compared to the Past 12 Months (Among All Consumers)

Figure 31. Types of Gift Cards Consumers are Likely to Purchase over the Next 12 Months vs. Those Purchased within the Past 12 Months (Among All Consumers)

Figure 32. Consumers’ Expected Change in the Number of Gift Cards They Plan to Buy over the Next Year Compared to the Number Bought over the Past Year (Among All Consumers)

Figure 33. For Whom Consumers Are Likely to Buy a Gift Card in the Next 12 Months and Bought a Gift Card within the Past 12 Months (Among Consumers Who Are Likely to Purchase a Gift Card in the Next 12 Months and Those Who Bought a Gift Card in the Last 12 Months)

Figure 34. Occasions for Purchasing Gift Cards over the Next 12 Months Compared to the Past 12 Months (Among Consumers Who Are Planning to Purchase a Gift Card in the Next 12 Months and Those Who Bought a Gift Card in the Last 12 Months)