Gift Cards Get Hotter This Year

The Gift That Keeps on Giving Is Enjoyed by a Majority


COLUMBUS, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 27, 2006 -- All I want for Christmas is a gift card could be the title of a new seasonal song as consumers seem to really enjoy getting those little plastic cards, according to BIGresearch's Black Friday Survey. Over 3,000 consumers participated in the survey taken the day after Thanksgiving, which is traditionally known as Black Friday. 42.9% of consumers said they shopped or were going to shop over the Thanksgiving weekend. Only 8.6% have completed all of their holiday shopping and 74.8% have 50% or less of their shopping completed.

When asked if they enjoy receiving gift cards, 65.1% said they like them or love them. Only 6.6% said they hate or dislike them and 28.4% were neutral, neither liking nor disliking receiving gift cards.

"For givers and receivers, gift cards offer a convenience in that the giver need not worry about the gift being the right size, color, style or technology and the receiver gets to choose something they really want," said Gary Drenik, President & CEO of BIGresearch.

"Everyone wins except possibly retailers who can't record their revenue until the cards are redeemed," said Drenik.

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About BIGresearch

BIGresearch is a market intelligence firm providing analysis of consumer behavior in areas of retail, financial services, automotive, and media. The syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month. The syndicated Simultaneous Media Usage Survey (SIMM) monitors more than 15,000 consumers twice each year to identify opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace including the media.

BIGresearch's methodology provides the most accurate consumer information in the industry with a margin of error of +/- 1 percent.

Contact Information: Contact: Phil Rist BIGresearch 450 West Wilson Bridge Road Suite 370 Worthington, Ohio 43085 (614) 846-0146 Email Contact