Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Market factors
- Growth in older consumers and Millennials drove mixed performance in the gift registries market
- Flat birth rates in the 2000s will give way to stronger population growth after 2013, driving more very young children, while seniors also continue to live longer
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- Figure 1: Total U.S. population, by age, 2013-18
- Growing Hispanic and Asian populations over the next five years will drive more registry creation
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- Figure 2: Population, by Hispanic origin, 2013-18
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- Figure 3: Population, by race/Hispanic origin, 1970-2020
- Fewer weddings, getting married later, and living together first more often
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- Figure 4: Marriage rate per 1,000 among total United States population, 2000-2011
- Overall consumer spending on gifts has declined since 2006, but toys and entertainment show some bright spots
- Gift cards/wine given at many typical registry occasions—role in or competing with registries?
- Major innovations
- Marketing successes
- The consumer
- Most consumers buy from rather than create registries
- Weddings and baby showers are the primary reasons for creating gift registries
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- Figure 5: Usage of gift registries, February 2013
- Gift registry creators want shopping to be easier, but nonusers don’t want to ask for gifts
- Registry creators request what they want, not what they’re expected to wan
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- Figure 6: Items registered for on gift registry, February 2013
- Affordability and service are major drivers of retailer choice when creating a registry
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- Figure 7: Attitudes toward gift registries, by gender, February 2013
- Asian and Hispanic respondents are eager registry creators and users
- What we think
Issues in the Market
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- How can traditional retailers compete with the growing popularity of universal registries?
- What role do wedding registries play in an age when most engaged couples cohabitate prior to marriage?
- Can retailers convince consumers that more life events are registry-worthy?
Insights and Opportunities
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- Wit and humor
- Registries that educate consumers about what to bring to celebrations of other ethnic groups
- Registries as a way of gating access to new levels of loyalty
- Registry Re-frame: Curating for a loved one: creating a registry as a gesture of love, friendship, or support
Trend Application
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- Inspire Trend: Immaterial World
- Inspire Trend: The Nouveau Poor
- Mintel Futures: Access Anything, Anywhere
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Millennials, the largest generation, poised to create registries
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- Figure 8: U.S. population, by generation, 2012
- Figure 9: Share of U.S. Generations, by race/Hispanic origin, 2012
- An aging population should be nudged to use registries in new ways…
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- Figure 10: Population, by age, 2008-18
- …but growing Hispanic and Asian populations means there will be more gift registry enthusiasts in the future.
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- Figure 11: Population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2008-18
- Hispanic kids could drive growth in registry creation
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- Figure 12: Presence and ages of children, by Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic households, 2011
- Birth rates hold steady, young children, boomers will grow in population share
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- Figure 13: Fertility rate and number of births, 2001-11
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- Figure 14: Total U.S. population, by age, 2013-18
- Fewer marriages means fewer reasons to register
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- Figure 15: Number of marriages and marriage rate in the U.S., 2000-2011
- Figure 16: Numbers and share of married and unmarried, by gender, 1960 and 2010
- Older marriages and more cohabitation means more complete households prior to marriage
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- Figure 17: Probability of first marriage among women 15-44 years of age before reaching specified age, 1995-2010
- Figure 18: Proportion of men and women, aged 15-44, who cohabitate with a partner, 1995-2010
- Retail sales growth suggests consumers still shopping
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- Figure 19: National retail sales growth rate, all retailers, 2003-13
- Consumer spending on gifts of any type
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- Figure 20: Average annual consumer expenditures on gifts, by spending category, 2006-11
- Consumer gift spending on common registry products
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- Figure 21: Average annual consumer expenditures on gifts, by spending category, 2006-11
Competitive Context
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- Charitable giving
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- Figure 22: Total charitable giving sector forecast, 2013
- Gift card giving
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- Figure 23: Number of gift/prepaid cards purchased in the last 12 months, by gender, September 2011
- Figure 24: Why gift/prepaid cards are purchased, by gender, September 2011
- Online shopping for home décor and the eBay/Etsy effect
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- Figure 25: Retailers shopped for home décor purchases–online, by gender, December 2011
- Alcohol as a go-to-gift
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- Figure 26: Occasions that motivate alcoholic beverage purchases, by age, March 2012
Leading Companies
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- Specialty stores
- Babies “R” Us
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Buy Buy Baby
- Crate & Barrel
- Pottery Barn
- REI
- The Land of Nod
- Tiffany & Co.
- Williams-Sonoma, Inc
- Online only
- Amazon.com
- Diapers.com
- Gift Registry 360 (The Knot)
- Traveler’s Joy
- Mass merchandisers
- Target
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- Figure 27: Target banner ad for same sex wedding registry, July 2012
- Walmart
- Department stores
- Belk
- Bloomingdale’s
- Bon-Ton Stores
- Dillard’s
- JCPenney
- Kohl’s
- Macy’s
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- Figure 28: Macys newspaper ad for same sex wedding registry, May 2008
- Neiman Marcus
- Sears
Innovations and Innovators
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- “MatriMoney:” registering for investments and financial services
- The Knot, Inc.: Setting the standard for registry creation
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- Figure 29: The Knot registry app launch screen, April 2013
- The Always-on registry and wish list from Jifiti
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- Figure 30: Jifiti pulse app, April 2013
- Cause-driven registries
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- Figure 31: Amazon hurricane sandy registry, April 2013
- Honeymoon registries provided by Honeymoonwishes.com
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- Figure 32: Starwood Caribbean honeymoon registry, April 2013
Marketing Strategies
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- Overview of the brand landscape
- Shoppers do pay attention to brochures, flyers, and way-finding tools
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- Figure 33: In-store marketing vehicles most referred-to by shoppers, October 2011-November 2012
- Direct marketing: brochures, flyers, circulars, and CRM in department stores
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- Figure 34: Kohl’s catalog with registry promotion call-out, February 2013
- Figure 35: Boscov’s promotion mailer featuring registry advertising, January 2013
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- Figure 36: Macy’s loyalty mailer featuring sip & scan party, August 2012
- Direct marketing: Circulars and CRM in Travel
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- Figure 37: JetBlue TrueBlue registry promotion email, December 2012
- Figure 38: Hilton Honors points gift registry email, December 2012
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- Figure 39: United mileage plus gift registry announcement email, January 2012
- Figure 40: Paul Gauguin cruises gift registry email, July 2012
- Reach-oriented marketing: TV
- Dodge: Buy Different
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- Figure 41: Dodge Dart registry, television ad “Moving forward,” March 2013
- Mobile strategies: apps that drive registry creation and engagement
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- Figure 42: Macy’s registry within Macy’s app, FEB. 12, 2013
- Figure 43: Bed, bath, and beyond registry within app, FEB. 12, 2013
- Social strategy: Pinterest placement
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- Figure 44: Bloomingdales wedding registry tagging on pinterest, April, 2013
- Figure 45: Johnny walker wedding registry tagging on pinterest, April, 2013
- Promotion strategies: search results
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- Figure 46: Bed, bath, and beyond search results, highlight registry, April 2013
- Promotion strategies: Offers
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- Figure 47: Amazon baby registry Avent sweepstakes offer, April 2013
- Figure 48: Macy’s dream fund registry card offer, April 2013
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- Figure 49: Pottery barn top ten reasons to register with Pottery Barn, April 2013
Gift Registry Participation
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- Key points
- Most shoppers have purchased items from a registry, but few create them
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- Figure 50: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, February 2013
- Women considerably more likely to make registry purchases
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- Figure 51: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by gender, February 2013
- Gift registry participation among youth
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- Figure 52: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by age, February 2013
- Registries used most by middle- and high-income consumers
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- Figure 53: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by household income, February 2013
- Gift registry participation by marriage, location, HH Size
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- Figure 54: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by marital/relationship status, February 2013
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- Figure 55: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by number of people in household, February 2013
- Figure 56: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by employment, February 2013
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- Figure 57: Creation of or purchase from a gift registry in-store or online, by region, February 2013
Occasions for Creating Gift Registries
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- Key points
- Bridal and baby showers, graduations are leading reasons for registries
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- Figure 58: Events or occasions for creating or buying from a gift registry (online or in-store), February 2013
- Men more willing to create registries for a variety of events
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- Figure 59: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), by gender, February 2013
- Younger consumers are more likely to create registries
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- Figure 60: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), by age, February 2013
- More lower-income consumers should avoid unwanted gifts
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- Figure 61: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), by household income, February 2013
- Singletons get invited to more events, help plan parties
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- Figure 62: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), by marital/relationship status, February 2013
- Registering for gifts is not a Midwestern value
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- Figure 63: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), by region, February 2013
Occasions for Purchasing From Gift Registries
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- Key points
- Most women have bought from gift registries
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- Figure 64: Events or occasions for buying from a gift registry (online or in-store), by gender, February 2013
- Purchasing from wedding and baby showers also dominated by 25-34s
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- Figure 65: Events or occasions for buying from a gift registry (online or in-store), by age, February 2013
- Middle-to-high income households show greatest tendency to buy from registries
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- Figure 66: Events or occasions for buying from a gift registry (online or in-store), by household income, February 2013
- “Living with a partner” a good target for registry promotion
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- Figure 67: Events or occasions for buying from a gift registry (online or in-store), by marital/relationship status, February 2013
- Midwesterners disinclined to register
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- Figure 68: Events or occasions for buying from a gift registry (online or in-store), by region, February 2013
Reasons for Creating a Gift Registry
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- Key points
- Shopping ease and preventing unwanted gifts drive registry creation
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- Figure 69: Reasons for creating a gift registry, February 2013
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- Figure 70: Reasons for creating a gift registry, by region, February 2013
Reasons for Not Creating a Gift Registry
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- Key points
- Gift registries just don’t “seem relevant” for many events
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- Figure 71: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, February 2013
- Younger consumers want gifts, but don’t consider registries
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- Figure 72: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by age, February 2013
- Higher-income consumers want gifts, but don’t think of registries
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- Figure 73: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by household income, February 2013
- Married consumers show registry regret
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- Figure 74: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by marital/relationship status, February 2013
- Many parents have had positive registry experiences
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- Figure 75: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by presence of children in household, February 2013
- Northeastern consumers lack positive feedback on registries
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- Figure 76: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by region, February 2013
Registry Items
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- Key points
- People register for what they really want
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- Figure 77: Items registered for on gift registry, February 2013
- Young want flexibility, old see registries for their traditional purpose
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- Figure 78: Items registered for on gift registry, by age, February 2013
- Lower-income consumers also seek electronics and gift cards
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- Figure 79: Items registered for on gift registry, by household income, February 2013
- Married people see gift registries for their traditional use
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- Figure 80: Items registered for on gift registry, by marital status, February 2013
- Midwesterners most likely to register for everyday household items
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- Figure 81: Items registered for on gift registry, by region, February 2013
Registry Occasions and Desired Items
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- Key points
- Major life events experienced or expected
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- Figure 82: Major life events experienced in the last year, October 2007-November 2012
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- Figure 83: Major life events expected to experience in the coming year, October 2007-November 2012
- Most nonshower registry creators seek gift cards and electronics
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- Figure 84: Items registered for on gift registry, by events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), February 2013 (part 1)
- Figure 85: Items registered for on gift registry, by events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), February 2013 (part 2)
- Most registry creators choose mass merchandisers due to cost and convenience
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- Figure 86: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), February 2013 (part 1)
- Figure 87: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), February 2013 (part 2)
Attitudes toward Registries
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- Key points
- Affordability leads, many factors considered in registry retailer choice
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- Figure 88: Attitudes toward gift registries, by gender, February 2013
- Newlyweds and first-time parents most concerned with retailer qualities
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- Figure 89: Attitudes toward gift registries, by age, February 2013
- Highest-income respondents most concerned with affordability for givers
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- Figure 90: Attitudes toward gift registries, by household income, February 2013
Retailers Chosen For Gift Registries
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- Key points
- Mass merchandisers most popular choice for registry creators
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- Figure 91: Retailers chosen for gift registries, February 2013
- Younger consumers more accustomed to shopping, registering at mass
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- Figure 92: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by age, February 2013
- Mass merchandisers remain popular at all income levels
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- Figure 93: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by household income, February 2013
- Unmarried consumers more flexible with choice of retailer
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- Figure 94: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by marital status, February 2013
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Registries even more popular among Asians, Hispanic consumers
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- Figure 95: Usage of gift registries—Created a gift registry in-store, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2013
- Asians and Hispanics likely to create registries for nearly all types of events
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- Figure 96: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry (online or in-store), by race/Hispanic origin, February 2013
- Hispanic respondents less eager to control gift giving with registries
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- Figure 97: Reasons for creating a gift registry, by Hispanic origin, February 2013
- Black respondents show a high affinity for registry creation
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- Figure 98: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2013
- Hispanic respondents less concerned about customer service when registering
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- Figure 99: Attitudes toward gift registries, by Hispanic origin, February 2013
Custom Consumer Groups
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- Key points
- Young—particularly young women—likely to use registries
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- Figure 100: Usage of gift registries—Created a gift registry in-store, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 101: Usage of gift registries—Created a gift registry in-store or online, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 102: Reasons for creating a gift registry, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 103: Reasons for not creating a gift registry, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 104: Items registered for on gift registry, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 105: Attitudes toward gift registries, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 106: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by gender and age, February 2013
Appendix – Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Created a gift registry in-store
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- Figure 107: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by age, February 2013
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- Figure 108: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 109: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by household income, February 2013
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- Figure 110: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2013
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- Figure 111: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by marital/relationship status, February 2013
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- Figure 112: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by number of people in household, February 2013
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- Figure 113: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by employment, February 2013
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- Figure 114: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store, by region, February 2013
- Created a gift registry online
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- Figure 115: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by gender, February 2013
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- Figure 116: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by age, February 2013
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- Figure 117: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by gender and age, February 2013
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- Figure 118: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by household income, February 2013
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- Figure 119: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2013
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- Figure 120: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by marital/relationship status, February 2013
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- Figure 121: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by number of people in household, February 2013
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- Figure 122: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by employment, February 2013
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- Figure 123: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry online, by region, February 2013
- Created a gift registry in-store or online
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- Figure 124: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store or online, by number of people in household, February 2013
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- Figure 125: Events or occasions for creating a gift registry in-store or online, by employment, February 2013
- Have purchased a gift from a gift registry
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- Figure 126: Have purchased a gift from a gift registry for this type of event (in-store or online), by number of people in household, February 2013
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- Figure 127: Have purchased a gift from a gift registry for this type of event (in-store or online), by employment, February 2013
- Have not created or purchased from a gift registry
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- Figure 128: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by gender, February 2013
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- Figure 129: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by age, February 2013
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- Figure 130: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by household income, February 2013
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- Figure 131: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by race/Hispanic origin, February 2013
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- Figure 132: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by marital/relationship status, February 2013
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- Figure 133: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by number of people in household, February 2013
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- Figure 134: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by employment, February 2013
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- Figure 135: Have not created or purchased from a gift registry for this type of event (either in-store or online), by region, February 2013
- Items registered for on gift registry
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- Figure 136: Items registered for on gift registry, by employment, February 2013
- Retailers chosen for gift registries
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- Figure 137: Retailers chosen for gift registries, by employment, February 2013
Appendix – Trade Associations
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