InComm Canada Survey Cites Convenience, Variety and Last-Minute Gifting as Top Reasons for Purchasing Prepaid Cards

Department store and restaurant categories most popular for self use and gifting, though most money is spent on financial and home improvement

ATLANTA, Feb. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - InComm, a leading prepaid product and transaction services company, today revealed the findings of a survey conducted at the end of November 2012, "Gift Card Usage and Attitudes Research," which tracked the 2012 gift card spending patterns of Canadian consumers. The study revealed gift cards are gaining popularity among Canadian consumers for gifting and self use. Consumers claim convenience, ease of use, selection and last-minute gift ideas as the primary reason for this surge in popularity.

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Conducted by market research company Northstar, the report includes information compiled from a sample of more than 1,000 respondents. The purpose of this study was to analyze the usage behaviors and attitudes toward prepaid card purchases in the Canadian retail marketplace. InComm commissioned the study as part of its ongoing efforts to understand and optimize the shopping experience for its customers. Other significant findings include:

• Gift cards are popular purchases among Canadian consumers, with respondents reporting they bought an average of 10.6 gift cards for other people in 2012
• The top three categories that consumers purchased both for themselves and for others are department stores, restaurant/dining and fast food
• Financial, online gaming, wireless airtime and long-distance were the most popular categories of cards purchased for self-use
• While financial and home improvement cards do not rank among the most frequently purchased cards, respondents tend to spend the most amount of money per card on these categories
• Though convenience and last-minute gifting were cited as motivation for buying gift cards, approximately two-thirds of respondents indicated they make a special trip to the store to purchase them; they also reported a lot of thought and planning go into their purchases, with 83 percent carefully choosing the type of gift cards they give to each person
• The most popular time to purchase gift cards is during the Christmas and Hanukkah season; 74% of consumers believegift cards are a good gift idea for those who may be difficult to shop for

"At InComm Canada, it is our goal to educate consumers and retailers about the benefits of prepaid cards. We make it our mission to bring products to retail that align with the spending patterns of the Canadian consumer base," said Karen Budahazy, General Manager, InComm Canada. "These results show prepaid card popularity continues to grow for gifting as well as self-use. They provide convenience and choice for customers seeking a seamless shopping experience."

About InComm
InComm is a leading provider of cutting-edge prepaid products, services and transaction technologies to retailers, brands and consumers. InComm supports more than 400,000 points of distribution and helps retailers build prepaid card destinations, connects brands with new markets and gives consumers a simple, secure shopping experience. InComm stays ahead of emerging trends by analyzing market needs and leveraging its global, innovative commerce platform, go-to-market expertise and extensive partner relationships. With 123 global patents, InComm is headquartered in Atlanta and has offices in North and South America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information, visit www.incomm.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/incomm.

SOURCE: InComm

InComm, Leah Gladu, [email protected], [phone]

http://www.incomm.com

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