Expressions of love in the middle of February give retail outlets a reason to return to the airwaves in hopes of attracting a little extra business as the winter retail doldrums drag on. CouponCabin has stats on how many plan to be in the market, and how much they plan to spend.
A CouponCabin/Harris Interactive survey found that single US adults are dating less in part because they are emailing and texting more. “Technology’s effect on everyday life has spread to the dating world, bringing its own set of unique challenges,” said Jackie Warrick , senior savings advisor at CouponCabin.com. “At the same time, the constant introduction of new digital tools and services can result in new opportunities to make potential love connections.”
CouponCabin found that only 47% of adults were planning to buy a gift for that special somebody this year in commemoration of Valentine’s Day.
Among that 47%, here’s the breakdown of how many are planning to spend by amount.
* $0 – 10 percent
* $1 – $50 – 40 percent
* $51 – $100 – 19 percent
* $101 – $200 – 16 percent
* $201 or more – 16 percent
The good news here is that 32% of 47% are planning to spend in excess of $100. That’s a special retail opportunity worth going after if you deal in the type of merchandise that’s likely to be in demand.
RBR-TVBR observation: If email and texting are distracting attention away from this special day, then it is up to broadcasters to help retailers drum the interest right back up. Mention it positively in your programming, and remind your clients that the right kind of advertising can both build traffic, and also head off internet purchases by providing a compelling reason to visit a brick and mortar venue.
Of course, we would work both sides of the street by suggesting that both internet-only operations and smart brick and mortar operators strongly advertise their internet shopping opportunities!
