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Two-thirds of holiday shoppers say rewards points will influence where they buy

November 26, 2013

One-third of holiday shoppers will be buying gifts for themselves this year, while spending the rest of the budget on friends and family. This is one of the findings from the Maritz Loyalty Marketing 2013 Gift Buying Omi Survey. In November, 1,000 consumers participated in the online survey to share their insights on gift buying for the holiday season as well as in general.

Here are some of the highlights: 

Men will spend 38 percent of their gift budget on themselves vs. 28 percent for women. On average, Americans expect to spend $510 on gifts for friends and family this holiday season ... and $257 on gifts for themselves.

Loyalty and rewards points play a big role in stretching the holiday budget. Forty-one percent of Americans said they have redeemed customer loyalty/rewards program points to give the rewards or benefits as gifts. MyPoints, Discover Points and Amazon points are redeemed most frequently for this purpose.

Loyalty and rewards points will greatly influence where shoppers buy gifts this year. Sixty-nine percent of consumers say that their choice of retailer is influenced by where they can earn customer loyalty and rewards program points.

Brand names matter most for purchases of chocolates, gift cards and apparel. Consumers were asked about the likelihood of choosing a comparatively more expensive product for a friend or family member because of its brand name.  Brand had most influence for candies and chocolate, gift cards, and clothing and apparel. 

If brand matters for friends’ gifts, it matters for their own gifts too. Seventy-seven percent of people buy the same brand name product for the recipient as they would for themselves.

Online shopping clicks with people … but only if it’s within the USA. Seventy-four percent will shop for the perfect brand name gift online from a U..S retailer. Only 18 percent will buy online from international retailers.

Read more about consumer behavior.