SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2005-- Report Reveals Top Gifts for Sweethearts & Names Hottest Celebrity Heartthrobs
Cupid may be hitting his mark this year, according to the Shopping in America 2005 Valentine's Day survey, revealing consumer plans for the annual holiday of romance - from anticipated spending to top gifts to the hottest celebrity heartthrobs. Conducted for The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC) by August Partners, the survey shows that shoppers will spend an average of $178.39 on Valentine's Day-related purchases. The figure includes an average of $100.63 on gifts for 2.3 recipients, and an additional $77.76 on events such as dinner, movies and theater. Most shoppers (84.4 percent) plan to spend the same or more than they did last year.
Men plan to spend 33 percent more than women for Valentine's Day ($218.17 vs. $146.26, respectively). By age, those between 45 and 54 will spend the most on overall purchases ($198.77) and the youngest shoppers surveyed (12-to-17 years) will spend the least ($95.20).
Male Female All
Valentine's Day Shopping Shoppers Shoppers Shoppers
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Number of Recipients on Gift List 1.9 2.6 2.3
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Average Anticipated Gift Expenditure $119.92 $85.03 $100.63
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Average Anticipated Event Expenditure $98.25 $61.23 $77.76
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Average Total Expenditures $218.17 $146.26 $178.39
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Gifts: Their Heart's Desire?
Tradition holds true as greeting cards top both the Valentine's Day gift lists and wish lists for men and women. Candy and flowers/plants also rank among the top anticipated gift purchases. But will desires be met when it comes to gifts for sweetheart? The following chart(a) shows the top five anticipated gift purchases and corresponding wish lists for male and female Valentine's Day shoppers.
Gift List: What Women Are Giving Wish List: What Men Want
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No 1 Gift No 1 Gift
Expenditure V-Day Card 28.4% Preference V-Day Card 23.0%
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No 2 Gift No 2 Gift
Expenditure Candy 20.6% Preference Candy 13.3%
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No 3 Gift No 3 Gift
Expenditure Flowers/Plants 10.7% Preference Watch/Jewelry 11.0%
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No 4 Gift No 4 Gift
Expenditure Cologne 10.1% Preference Cologne 10.7%
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No 5 Gift No 5 Gift Boxer Shorts
Expenditure Watch/Jewelry 8.9% Preference /Underwear 9.8%
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Gift List: What Men Are Giving Wish List: What Women Want
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No 1 Gift No 1 Gift
Expenditure V-Day Card 20.5 % Preference V-Day Card 22.2%
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No 2 Gift No 2 Gift
Expenditure Flowers 19.4 % Preference Flowers 20.0 %
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No 3 Gift No 3 Gift
Expenditure Candy 16.7 % Preference Jewelry 15.5 %
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No 4 Gift No 4 Gift
Expenditure Jewelry 12.1% Preference Candy 13.4%
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No 5 Gift No 5 Gift Spa/Personal
Expenditure Lingerie 7.8% Preference Care 10.3%
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(a) Multiple category responses allowed. Answers recalculated to bring
total to 100%
"As the first major shopping season since the winter holidays, Valentine's Day is growing in popularity with consumers," said Garry Butcher, vice president of marketing and consumer research for The Macerich Company. "Our survey shows that most shoppers plan to spend the same or more than last year at around $178.00 for gifts and events with their sweethearts."
Top Heartthrobs
True love weighed out over fantasy in the heartthrob category. "My own special Valentine" was the leading survey response to the question "Who makes your heart beat the fastest?" For men, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez ranked as the top celebrity heartthrobs. Britney Spears came in last. Women selected Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise. The Donald was the least popular heartthrob for women.
Who Makes Your Heart Beat Who Makes Your Heart Beat
the Fastest? the Fastest?
(Male Shoppers) (Female Shoppers)
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My Own Special Valentine 20.6% My Own Special Valentine 28.4%
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Angelina Jolie 13.7% Brad Pitt 13.8%
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Beyonce Knowles 11.8% Johnny Depp 11.4%
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Jennifer Lopez 10.5% Tom Cruise 9.4%
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Lindsay Lohan 9.0% Usher 8.4%
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Jennifer Aniston 8.1% Denzel Washington 8.2%
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Nicole Kidman 8.0% None of the Above 8.2%
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Julia Roberts 6.6% Jude Law 5.2%
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Jessica Simpson 4.8% Jim Carrey 4.1%
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None of the Above 4.8% Donald Trump 3.1%
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Britney Spears 2.1%
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The Romance Scale: Hot or Not?
Males and females consider themselves virtually equal on the "romance scale." On a scale of one to 10 with one being "chilly" and 10 being "red hot," male shoppers rated themselves at 6.9 overall and female shoppers rated themselves 7.0.
A Charitable Heart: Tsunami Relief
The majority of Shopping in America survey participants (58 percent) have made or plan to make donations to the internal tsunami relief efforts. Female shoppers (62 percent) are more likely to give then their male counterparts (53 percent).
About Shopping in America
Shopping in America is a national shopper intercept survey that studies consumer shopping trends. The Valentine's Day survey was conducted among more than 2,500 shoppers in seven regional shopping centers geographically spread throughout the United States. Total results have a reliability factor of +/- 1 percent. Additional results and graphics for the Shopping in America surveys can be found at www.shoppinginamerica.biz.
About The Macerich Company
The Macerich Company is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns interests in properties totaling approximately 63 million square feet consisting primarily of interests in 64 regional malls. Additional information about The Macerich Company can be obtained from the Company's website at www.macerich.com.
CONTACT: Lovell Public Relations
Tresa Hardt or Kim Craig, 972-788-4511
thardt@lovellpr.com
SOURCE: The Macerich Company