Panic Saturday! More Than Half of Christmas Shoppers Typically Have Not Completed Their Holiday Shopping by the Saturday Before Christmas

- Almost all holiday shoppers surveyed (93%) have had to purchase a last-minute gift at some point

- Nearly 7 in 10 holiday shoppers surveyed would rather do their last-minute shopping in a store than online

- Last-minute shoppers cite indecision (43%) as the leading cause for having to purchase gifts in the 11th hour

News provided by

Dec 15, 2014, 07:00 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot (www.retailmenot.com), a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money, today announced the latest edition of its Shoppers Trend Report, which revealed more than half (56%) of Christmas shoppers surveyed typically have gifts left to purchase by the time "Panic Saturday" -- the last Saturday to shop for holiday gifts before Christmas (also referred to as "Super Saturday") -- rolls around.

For many of these last-minute holiday shoppers, it's not simply a matter of running to the store to purchase one remaining gift. Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) Christmas shoppers surveyed admit that they've actually waited until the Saturday before Christmas to begin shopping for presents; this is a more common practice for men than women (22% vs. 16%). Additionally, parents surveyed are far more likely than adults without children (70% vs. 49%) to find themselves running to the store to pick up a last-minute gift at least frequently, if not all the time.

"Even if you tend to procrastinate, there's no reason you should have to spend more money because you have less time to buy gifts," says Rebekah George, lifestyle contributor for The Real Deal by RetailMeNot. "Retailers will be offering promotions until the final hour before they close for the holidays, so don't let desperation get in the way of taking a few minutes to search for a coupon or discount."

The Waiting Game

Much last-minute shopping is the result of indecision. More than 2 in 5 (43%) consumers who identified themselves as last-minute shoppers have waited until the 11th hour because they didn't know what to get their intended recipient. Another 30% of self-identified last minute shoppers waited to shop because they received an unexpected gift and felt the need to reciprocate. Financial reasons, such as needing to save up more money (23%) or waiting to see how much cash they have left (22%), are less likely to spur last-minute holiday shopping for these procrastinators.

Forgetfulness also contributes to having to rush to the store before it closes, with more than one-third (37%) of holiday shoppers surveyed forgetting to buy someone a gift and thus needing to shop at the last minute.

Dashing to the Store

Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) holiday shoppers surveyed would rather do their last-minute shopping offline than online, which is up from last year*, when only 62% of consumers preferred in-store shopping for last-minute gifts. The shift in preference for in-store shopping could be due to the shipping delays experienced during the 2013 holiday shopping season.

It's not the winter decorations or holiday music that's luring consumers to the mall. What in-store holiday shoppers like most about shopping at a brick-and-mortar retailer is the ability to see an item in person (71%) and having the desired item in hand as soon as they purchase it (58%). More women than men in-store shoppers (75% vs. 67%) appreciate being able to see an item in person before purchasing.

Safe Shopping

Despite potential identity theft concerns around using debit or credit cards, nearly 3 in 5 (59%) consumers who plan to shop this holiday season would be willing to do so at a retailer that has experienced a credit card security breach in the last year. Two-thirds (67%) of these shoppers who are men are willing to make holiday purchases at such retailers, compared to about half (53%) of women.

To help consumers shop smart this holiday season, Jean Chatzky, personal finance contributor for The Real Deal, offers consumers tips on how to protect their identity and what to do if they've experienced fraudulent activity. Check out her video: http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/online-shopping-safety-tips.html

For all last-minute gift purchases, consumers can download the RetailMeNot Coupons app for iPhone, Android and iPad, to access thousands of offers that can be used in-store at the register.

Report Methodologies

The RetailMeNot December survey was conducted between November 17 and November 20, 2014, among 1,006 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an e-mail invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

*About the December 2013 Survey

The December 2013 Survey was conducted between November 21 and November 26, 2013, among 1,022 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

About RetailMeNot.com
RetailMeNot.com (http://www.retailmenot.com) is a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money. Since November 2006, our users have shared hundreds of thousands of offers from retailers. These offers are voted on by users, ensuring that quality deals rise to the top and those that are expired drop down the list. RetailMeNot.com is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc., the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. Consumers can save more at their favorite stores by downloading the RetailMeNot app at http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/rmn-whats-new.html.

We're out to save the world (some money).™ Consumers can follow RetailMeNot on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ by visiting http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/websites.

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 from their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended September 30, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 655 million visits to its websites. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been downloaded over 18.5 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offers marketplace in the United Kingdom; Deals.com in Germany; Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offers site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offers sites in France; Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offers site with cash back in France; and Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offers 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.