Festive Canadians Spending Money on More Than Just Holiday Gifts

Average Canadian plans to spend more than $1,000 this holiday season

TORONTO, Dec. 18, 2015 /CNW/ -- Forget being naughty, Canadians are being too nice this holiday season! According to a recent survey by digital offers site RetailMeNot.ca, Canadians plan to purchase holiday gifts for an average of seven loved ones. This generosity comes with a hefty price tag, as the average Canadian will spend more than $1,000 this holiday season.

"There are still last-minute discounts to take advantage of before the holidays," says Kristen Larrea of RetailMeNot.ca. "Canadians can maximize their savings by searching online for a coupon or promo code before buying an item to experience the joy of giving without a spending hangover in the New Year."

Hidden Holiday Costs
Canadians are spending on more than just gifts for the holidays, which could be why 50 percent of Canadians feel badly that they can't spend more on gifts due to lack of funds. On average, Canadians plan to spend the following on holiday-related expenses:

• Gifts: $671
• Food: $311
• Alcohol: $310 for entertaining, personal consumption and gifts
• Transportation: $163
• Clothing: $124
• Decor: $79

Even holiday beauty regimes can add up. From hair to makeup, nails and spa treatments, women plan to spend an average of $76 this season, and men will spend $66.

Shopping Habits
Canadians overall prefer shopping in-store for their holiday gifts (69 percent), while 31 percent will shop primarily online. In fact, nearly one in four (24 percent) admit they will shop online during work for their holiday gifts. Canadians also admit to being selfish Santas, with more than half (51 percent) admitting they purchase gifts for themselves while holiday shopping for others. Millennials are the worst culprits (61 percent).

Horrible Holiday Habits
The RetailMeNot.ca survey revealed that Canadians can also be a bit naughty when it comes to indulging in other holiday traditions. In fact, 66 percent of Canadians agree that they overeat during the holiday season, and 62 percent agree there is always that one person at the office holiday party that gets too intoxicated. The survey also revealed the most offensive holiday habits as ranked by Canadians:

1. Drinking too much at an office holiday party
2. Drinking too much at a family gathering
3. People being demanding with their holiday wish list
4. Snooping for gifts
5. Re-gifting

Additional Survey Findings

• Bye, Bye Gym: Fifty-four percent of Canadians tend to fall out of their exercise routine during the holidays;
• Last-Minute Panic: Forty-five percent of Canadians buy last-minute gifts;
• Is There a Gift Receipt?: Forty-three percent of B.C. residents admit to returning a holiday gift, the highest in the country;
• Faking Festive: Forty-nine percent of Canadians hide their true feelings when they receive a gift they hate, while 86 percent agree the holiday season has become too materialistic;
• Wild West Gold Rush: Albertans spend more on the holidays than any other province ($1,272), including $746 on gifts and a sky-high $347 on a present for spouses alone.

RetailMeNot.ca regularly conducts consumer trend and spending surveys.

About the survey:
From December 4 to December 5, 2015, an online survey was conducted among 1,509 randomly selected Canadian adults 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. (http://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 for their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended September 30, 2015, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced nearly 730 million visits to its websites, and during the three months ended September 30, 2015, RetailMeNot, Inc. averaged 18.6 million mobile unique visitors per month.  In 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. estimates $4.4 billion in paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. 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.

Media Contact:

Erin Banting
Citizen Relations
416 934 8422 office
416 414 8637 mobile
[email protected]

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SOURCE RetailMeNot.ca