Canadians are frugal wedding guests: Half spend $100 or less on gifts

RetailMeNot.ca survey shows Ontarians biggest spenders with 16 per cent spending $200 or more; British Columbians spend the least

TORONTO, June 10, 2014 /CNW/ - Canadians are a thrifty bunch when it comes to wedding gifts, with most spending only $100 or less per person whether giving cash or a gift, according to the latest consumer trends survey from digital offers website RetailMeNot.ca. Almost a third of respondents (32 per cent) spend $51 to $100, while 17 per cent fork out a mere $50 or less.

Wedding planners and the newly engaged take note: 20 per cent of respondents will spend less on a gift if there is no open bar, but two-thirds (66 per cent) say a more lavish wedding will not coax them to increase their gift. Overall, 54 per cent say that weddings are a financial burden for guests, and 18 per cent have declined an invite because they could not afford it. Ten per cent admit to regifting a present for a wedding.

But before heading to Las Vegas to elope, brides and grooms should know that almost 6 in 10 surveyed (59 per cent) do enjoy attending weddings, and 10 per cent spend at least $200 per person for a gift, led by Ontarians at 16 per cent. British Columbians trail all regions with only 5 per cent willing to break the $200 threshold.

Considering Canadians' frugality when it comes to buying wedding gifts, it's surprising that only 11 per cent of those surveyed use coupons or discount codes when purchasing wedding registry gifts. However, 54 per cent of those surveyed admit to buying wedding gifts on sale, so they are finding other ways to save.

"The costs during wedding season can certainly strain budgets, especially if you're attending multiple events," says Christy Rabil, director of public relations for RetailMeNot, Inc. "A simple step to ease the stress is to start shopping and planning well ahead of time. While there are plenty of deals to be had, our research shows that nearly half of Canadians pay full price for wedding gifts. To avoid busting budgets, guests should consider shopping weeks in advance so there is plenty of opportunity to find the latest deals, order gifts online and save with free standard shipping."

Other survey findings:

• No thanks needed: While 72 per cent of Canadians 55 and over expect a thank you card, only 41 per cent under 35 want one;
• I'd rather go fishing: Forty-six per cent of men and 34 per cent of women dislike attending a wedding on a summer long weekend;
• Just don't outshine the bride: Forty-seven per cent of female guests buy a new outfit for the big day;
• I am the gift: Fifty-one per cent believe that if they travel to attend a destination wedding, brides and grooms should not expect a gift;
• Savvy Quebecers: Seventy-four per cent of Quebec residents buy wedding gifts on sale (as opposed to 54 per cent for the rest of Canada) and are the least likely to regift; however, only 4 per cent recycle wedding presents (versus 10 to 17 per cent for all other regions); and
• Online shoppers: Ten per cent have purchased a wedding gift online, and 14 per cent have done research online before buying the item in-store.

RetailMeNot.ca regularly conducts consumer behaviour surveys to examine the spending habits of Canadians.

Facebook: Facebook.com/RetailmenotCanada
Twitter: @retailmenotca

About the Canadian survey:

From May 23 to May 25, 2014, an online survey was conducted among 1,506 randomly selected Canadian adults age 18+ who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec language) census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers from their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended March 31, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 590 million visits to its websites. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in its paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been downloaded over 16 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; www.RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United Kingdom; www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offer site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offer sites in France; www.Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offer site with cash back in France; and www.Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offer site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit: http://investor.retailmenot.com/.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Rachael Collier
Citizen Relations
416 306 6641 office
416 995 1432 mobile
[email protected]

Christy Rabil
RetailMeNot, Inc.
512 777 2897 office
646 554 8873 mobile
[email protected]

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SOURCE: RetailMeNot, Inc.

http://www.RetailMeNot.com

http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130704/DA42607LOGO