Consumers slow to embrace online gift registries

[November 13th 2001]

Jupiter Media Metrix reports that 74 percent of online buyers in the US have not viewed, created or purchased from an online gift registry. Only eight percent of online buyers have actually made a purchase directly from an online registry. However, Jupiter analysts expect consumers to use registries more often as retailers begin to roll out versions that are available both online and in physical stores via kiosks.

"Online buyers have not adopted the use of online registries or wish lists to research or purchase gifts, despite the benefits they bring to ease the gift-purchasing process," said Rob Leathern, Jupiter analyst. "Multichannel retailers looking to boost online registry usage, especially this holiday season, must give consumers the ability to access registries in a physical location as well as online. Retailers will benefit from higher sales, with little additional customer acquisition efforts."

Detailed findings include:

• Just three percent of online buyers created an online registry or wish list for themselves for a wedding or anniversary. Moreover, only 26 percent reported having any interaction with an online registry. Jupiter analysts attribute the low consumer usage to the lack of perceived value that online registries provide.

• 40 percent of brick-and-mortar retailers offered some kind of online gift registry or wish list at their Web site. The most common type of registry found online is the general-purpose wish list that typically targets holiday and birthday-gift-buying consumers (75 percent of Web sites that offer gift registries). Bridal and baby registries follow with 45 percent and 10 percent of top retail sites offering the service, respectively.

• Registry users are ripe prospects for retailers looking to target lifetime consumers. Within the online buyer population, Jupiter analysts have found that females ages 25 to 34 are the most likely to use an online registry or wish list. This audience matches the demographics of off-line wedding registries. By capturing this group of buyers in the early stage of purchasing home products, retailers can cross-sell related products during the initial process of setting up a first home.

Links
Jupiter Media Metrix		http://www.jmm.com