WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Nov. 13, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Digital cameras and digital music players are the hot high-tech gifts this holiday season according to a new survey by MyPoints, a leading frequent shopper loyalty Web site. The MyPoints Holiday Spending survey polled more than 1,000 active MyPoints members, approximately 35 percent of whom plan to purchase either a digital camera or a digital music player this holiday shopping season.
In addition to digital cameras and music players, plasma TVs, DVDs and cell phones are the most popular consumer electronics gifts on the respondents' holiday shopping list. The top 10 include:
1. Digital cameras 2. Digital music players 3. Flat-screen or plasma TVs 4. Digital video recorders 5. Cell phones 6. Home computers 7. Home game system (GameCube, Xbox, etc.) 8. Portable game systems 9. HDTVs 10. Home theaters
Overall, the survey respondents are optimistic about their holiday shopping with 83 percent planning to spend as much or more than they spent last year. Average holiday gift spending per member was approximately $650 in 2005.
"I spent around $3,000 last holiday season, give or take, and I'll probably spend at least that much this year," said Laura Van Dyck, the winner of the MyPoints Summer Challenge Contest. "During the holidays I am always on the lookout for that special item because I tend to spoil my family a little bit. I know I will be buying a couple of iPod Nanos this year, so I have been watching out for those."
Other key results from the MyPoints Holiday Spending survey include:
-- Generosity - The average member spends $1,325 on gift
giving per year.
-- Feeling better about high gas prices - Of the members who
plan on spending less this year than they did last year,
only 25% cite the high price of gasoline as a factor,
compared with 45% last year.
-- Last minute shopping - 6% say they'll start holiday
shopping at the last possible moment. 85% plan to begin
holiday shopping before December.
-- Online shopping - 88% say they'll do at least some of their
holiday gift shopping online.
-- Nightmare crowds - Avoiding crowds is the most common
reason members shopped online. 79% of members polled said
they shop online to avoid crowds.
-- Ability to comparison shop - 57% of members cite the
ability to comparison shop as a prime reason they shop
online during the holidays.
And while it's commonly thought that women enjoy the process of shopping in stores, while men generally want to buy what they need and leave, the MyPoints survey suggests that when it comes to shopping online, women and men are very much alike. While 90 percent of women said they'll do some of their holiday shopping online, that number was 89 percent for men, only a one percent difference.
About MyPoints.com
MyPoints, is a leading online loyalty Web site where members earn rewards points for reading emails, taking surveys, booking travel and shopping with more than 300 leading, brand-name merchants through the MyPoints Web site and via permission-based email. MyPoints reward Points can be redeemed for gift cards and discounts from a broad list of MyPoints partners including retailers, theaters, restaurants, airlines and hotels. MyPoints was purchased by United Online in April, 2006. For more information on MyPoints, please visit www.mypoints.com. For press inquiries, go to www.untd.com/press.html.
About United Online
United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq:UNTD) is a leading provider of consumer Internet and media services. The company's Content & Media services include social networking (Classmates) and online loyalty marketing (MyPoints). Its Communications services include Internet access (NetZero, Juno), email and VoIP. United Online is headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA, with offices in New York, NY; Fort Lee, NJ; Renton, WA; San Francisco, CA; Schaumburg, IL; Orem, UT; Erlangen, Germany; and Hyderabad, India. For more information about United Online, please visit http://www.unitedonline.com.