RetailMeNot.ca survey reveals spending increases as
temperatures rise
TORONTO, March 19, 2015 /CNW/ -- After a harsh
winter, spring getaways and wardrobe updates are top of mind for
many Canadians, however rising temperatures may lead to increased
spending. According to a recent survey by digital offers site
RetailMeNot.ca, 74 per cent of Canadians agree that people tend to
spend more as the weather gets warmer. In fact, survey respondents
plan to spend an average of $1,270 on
travel expenses, $1,160 on home
improvements, $632 on food and
entertainment and $222 on new
clothing and shoes between March and June!
Nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) plan to get away this
spring after the cold winter, but 61 per cent agree that the hidden
costs of travelling, such as transportation fees and new clothing,
eat into their budgets. When it comes to booking a spring vacation,
Canadians are most likely to purchase from cost-comparison websites
like Expedia.ca or Travelocity.ca (17 per cent), yet only 1 per
cent of Canadians will search for coupons to get travel
discounts.
"Whether you're planning a vacation or exploring activities in
your hometown, don't get burned by paying full price," says
Kristen Nelson, communications
manager for RetailMeNot, Inc. "To save on airfare, experts suggest
booking about six weeks prior to travel for the lowest fare. Also,
search for coupons to save on everything from travel-booking sites
and car rentals to updating your wardrobe or home for warmer
weather."
With gas prices about 27 per cent lower than in
20141, the most popular type of spring vacation for
Canadians this year is a road trip. In fact, 60 per cent of survey
respondents agree that they are more likely to travel by car when
gas prices are low.
Other survey findings include:
- Freezing February: 56 per cent of Atlantic residents and
51 per cent of Ontarians look to travel after the coldest February
in 115 years2;
- J'aime patio season: Come springtime, Quebec residents plan to spend the most on
entertainment and food ($891);
- Costly staycations: 46 per cent of the country agrees
staycations are less affordable than they used to be;
- Better than a stress ball: Thirty-three per cent of
Canadians travel because it allows them to get away from the stress
of everyday life;
- All-inclusive dilemma: Fifty-three per cent of Canadians
agree that an all-inclusive vacation tends to be cheaper, but 44
per cent prefer more choice.
RetailMeNot.ca regularly conducts consumer behavior surveys to
examine the buying habits of Canadians. To save on spring travel
and clothing, visit RetailMeNot.ca and sign up for the deals
newsletter.
About the survey:
An online survey was conducted by
Angus Reid from February 27 to February 28, 2015, among 1,515
randomly selected Canadian adults. The margin of error is +/- 2.5%,
19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted by
education, age, gender, region and language Census data.
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 December 31, 2014, RetailMeNot,
Inc. experienced nearly 700 million visits to its websites, and
during the three months ended December 31,
2014, monthly mobile unique visitors totaled 21.2 million.
In 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. estimates $4.4
billion in paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer
traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. 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.
For interview requests or more information please contact:
Erin Banting
Citizen Relations
416 934 8422 office
416 414 8637 mobile
erin.banting@citizenrelations.com
1 Rob Carrick, "Cheap
gas got you eyeing a road trip? See
Canada but skip the U.S.," The Globe and Mail, January 2015,
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/time-to-invest-in-a-canadian-road-trip/article22685954/
2 CTV Ottawa, "February
2015 coldest in 115 years,"ctvnews.ca, March 2015,
http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/february-2015-coldest-in-115-years-1.2257188
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130626/DA38415LOGO
SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.