Holiday shoppers' generosity extends beyond friends and family… to themselves.

TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2013 /CNW/ - 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 2013, 1,000 consumers participated in an 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% of their gift budget on themselves vs. 28% for females
  On average, consumers expect to spend $510 on gifts for friends and family this holiday season…and $257 on gifts for themselves.
  
  
• Loyalty/Reward points play a big role in stretching the holiday budget.
  41% of consumer said they have redeemed customer loyalty/rewards program points to give the rewards or benefits as gifts.
  
  
• Loyalty/Reward points will greatly impact where shoppers buy gifts this year
  69% of consumers say that their choice of retailer is influenced by where they can earn customer loyalty/rewards program points.
  
  
• Brands matter most for purchases of chocolates, gift cards and apparel.
  Consumers were asked about the likelihood of choosing a more expensive product for a friend or family member because of its brand name.  Brand had most influence for Candies/chocolate Gift Cards Clothing and Apparel.

	% of Consumers Very or Somewhat likely to choose a more expensive gift because of it's brand name
Candies/Chocolates	63%
Gift Cards	62%
Clothing and Apparel	59%

• If brand matters for friends' gifts, it matters for their own gifts too
  77% of people buy the same brand name product for the recipient as they would for themselves.

"After a few years of having to pull back on holiday spending, it seems people are looking forward to playing Santa Claus this year by spending more on their family and friends, as well as treating themselves." Said Scott Robinson Senior Director, Loyalty Solutions & Consulting, Maritz Loyalty Marketing.  "It's also great to see the important role that loyalty programs have in helping consumers stretch their budgets and also benefit from rewards for themselves."

"As someone who believes in the power of brands, I'm not surprised to see that shoppers prefer to gift the brands they themselves enjoy, and are also willing to spend more for brands, especially on gift items where the brand is prominent" added Robinson.

ABOUT MARITZ LOYALTY MARKETING
Maritz Loyalty Marketing is a full-service North American Loyalty Marketing agency with offices in Toronto, New York and Minneapolis. Its brand loyalty marketing and technology-enabled lifecycle engagement solutions drive measurable business results for its clients. Leveraging over 120 years of history, experience and expertise from the Maritz family of companies, Maritz Loyalty Marketing provides its clients with consumer loyalty solutions that consider the holistic consumer experience at every brand touch point and through all stages of the relationship lifecycle. Maritz Loyalty Marketing is wholly owned by Maritz Holdings Inc. based in St. Louis, Missouri. Maritz Loyalty Marketing designs, builds and operates brand-aligned, customer-relevant and financially-viable consumer loyalty solutions for top global brands. 


ABOUT MARITZ RESEARCH CANADA
Maritz Research is one of the world's leading full-service market research providers. We believe the best business decisions are made with a deep understanding of the needs of customers, employees and channel partners, and we work tirelessly to bring the voices of these audiences to the decision-making table for some of North America's most well-respected organizations. We focus on delivering insights that enable our clients to improve their brand, garner greater market shares, offer an improved customer experience and, ultimately, foster true loyalty.

To learn more, please visit www.maritzloyaltymarketing.com

Image with caption: "2013 Maritz Gift Buying Survey (CNW Group/Maritz Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131126_C4938_PHOTO_EN_33841.jpg

SOURCE: Maritz Canada Inc.

For more information and detailed results from this survey please contact:
Richard Lane 
905.696.5319 
[email protected]