Gift Registries - US - December 2006

SCOPES AND THEMES
What you need to know
Definition
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
Terms
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A growing market dominated by weddings, baby showers, and bridal registries
Number of registries increases, correlates with higher median registry value
Fueled by the Internet
Birth rate and number of births diverge by race and ethnicity
Retail landscape
Key consumer takeaways
Gift registry usage
Factors influencing decision to use wedding registry service
How guests were informed of wedding registry
What wedding registrants want
Product availability
Guest usage of wedding gift registries
Gift registries, destination weddings, and using cash
Baby showers
How guests were informed of baby shower registry
Why registries aren’t used
KEY DEMOGRAPHICS AND DRIVERS
More people means more presents
Figure 1: U.S. population projections, by age group, 2000-10
Number of marriages declines, but registry gift giving increases
Figure 2: Marriages in the U.S., 2001-05
The Internet and technology change the registry landscape
Figure 3: Usage of gift registries at retail stores, types of registry and multiple store usage, by age, October 2006
“The Knot” effect: the ascendance of online registry services
Figure 4: Types of registries used, online vs retail store, by age, October 2006
The Internet as a complement to bricks and mortar
Figure 5: Factors considered when deciding on a registry, by gender, October 2006
Growth in number of births tied to race/ethnicity
Figure 6: Number of births, by race/ethnicity of mother, 2003 and 2004
Figure 7: birth rate, by race/ethnicity of mother, 2003 and 2004*
Seasonal wedding variations and spending patterns
Figure 8: Marriages, by month, 2004
Figure 9: Graph: Percentage of wedding purchases, by month, 2003
MARKET SIZE AND TRENDS
 MARKET SIZE
Figure 10: Total U.S. gift registry market, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
 MARKET TRENDS
Weddings go upscale
And marketers drive demand for them
Conspicuous consumption and fulfillment of fantasies
MARKET SEGMENTATION
Figure 11: Spend on gift registries, segmented by type of event, 2004 and 2006
Weddings
Figure 12: Wedding gift registry sales, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
Bridal showers
Figure 13: Bridal shower registries, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
Baby showers
Figure 14: Baby shower gift registry sales, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
Graduation
Figure 15: Graduation registry sales, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
Anniversary
Figure 16: Anniversary registry sales, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
Other
Figure 17: Other registries, at current and constant prices, 2001-06
THE RETAIL CHANNEL
Overview
Figure 18: wedding registry retail channel choices, 2003 and 2006
A closer look at the leaders
Retail, Internet and hybrid registry services
Consumer usage of retail stores with online registries and kiosks
Figure 19: Usage of gift registries at retail stores, types of registry and multiple store usage, by age,
Figure 20: Usage of gift registries at retail stores, types of registry and multiple store usage, by education level, October 2006
Wedding registry retail access choices
Figure 21: Types of registries used, online vs retail store, by age, October 2006
Baby shower registry retail access choices
Figure 22: Types of registries used for birth of child/baby shower, online vs retail store, by education,
ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION
Introduction
The importance of the Internet
The Knot
Macy’s
Dillard’s
Crate and Barrel
Williams-Sonoma
Target
Wal-Mart
JC Penney
Kohl’s
Bed Bath & Beyond
Linens ‘n Things
THE CONSUMER: GIFT REGISTRY USAGE AND APPLICATIONS
Introduction
Overall use of gift registries
Figure 23: Usage of gift registries, by gender, October 2006
Figure 24: Usage of gift registries, by age, October 2006
Figure 25: Usage of gift registries, by household income, October 2006
Figure 26: Usage of gift registries, by race/ethnicity, October 2006
Figure 27: Usage of gift registries, by marital status, October 2006
Figure 28: Usage of gift registries, by household size, October 2006
Figure 29: Usage of gift registries, by presence of children in household, October 2006
Occasions for using a registry
Figure 30: Reasons for using gift registries, by gender, October 2006
Figure 31: Reasons for using gift registries, by age group, October 2006
Figure 32: Reasons for using gift registries, by household income, October 2006
Figure 33: Reasons for using gift registries, by race/ethnicity, October 2006
Figure 34: Reasons for using gift registries, by marital status, October 2006
Figure 35: Reasons for using gift registries, by size of household, October 2006
Figure 36: Reasons for using gift registries, by number of children in household, October 2006
THE CONSUMER: WEDDING REGISTRIES
Wedding registry selection
Factors influencing decision to use wedding registry service
Figure 37: Factors considered when deciding on a registry—wedding registry users, by gender, October 2006
Figure 38: Factors considered when deciding on a registry—wedding registry users, by education level, October 2006
Wedding registry notification
How guests were informed of wedding registry
Figure 39: Methods of informing guests about a registry, by gender, October 2006
Figure 40: Methods of informing guests about a registry, by race/ethnicity, October 2006
Figure 41: Methods of informing guests about a registry, by education level, October 2006
What wedding registrants want
Figure 42: Types of items on wedding gift registries, by age, October 2006
Figure 43: Types of items on wedding gift registries, by education level, October 2006
Product availability
Figure 44: Availability of registry items—topline, October 2006
Guest usage of wedding gift registries
Figure 45: Number of guests who ordered through the registry for a wedding, by household income,
Gift registries and destination weddings
Figure 46: Had a destination wedding and it affected registry/gift giving, by gender, October 2006
Figure 47: Had a destination wedding and it affected registry/gift giving, by race/ethnicity, October 2006
Gift registries and second marriages
Figure 48: Acceptance of wedding gift registries if not a first marriage, by age, October 2006
Figure 49: Acceptance of wedding gift registries if not a first marriage, by region, October 2006
Attitudes toward giving cash as a gift
Figure 50: ‘Cash is acceptable as a wedding gift’, by gender, October 2006
Figure 51: ‘Cash is acceptable as a wedding gift’, by education level, October 2006
THE CONSUMER: GIFT REGISTRIES AND OTHER OCCASIONS
Baby showers
Factors influencing decision to use baby shower registry service
Figure 52: Factors considered when deciding on a registry—birth/baby shower registry users—topline, October 2006
How guests were informed of baby shower registry
Figure 53: Methods of informing guests about a registry—birth/baby shower registry users—topline,
What baby shower registrants want
Figure 54: Types of items on child/baby shower registries, by number of people in household, October 2006
Figure 55: Number of guests who ordered through the registry for a birth of a child/baby shower—topline, October 2006
Attitudes toward using gift registries for other occasions
Figure 56: Acceptable to use gift registries for other events, by race/ethnicity, October 2006
Figure 57: Acceptable to use gift registries for other events, by level of education, October 2006
THE CONSUMER: WHY REGISTRIES AREN’T USED
Figure 58: Reasons for not using registries, by age, October 2006
Figure 59: Reasons for not using registries, by household income, October 2006
Figure 60: Reasons for not using registries, by marital status, October 2006
Figure 61: Reasons for not using registries, by employment status, October 2006
FUTURE TRENDS
A stagnant “marriage market”
Echo Boomers to the rescue
Figure 62: U.S. population by generation, 2005-2010
Internet to facilitate growth
Untapped interest in using registries for occasions other than weddings
Figure 63: Acceptable to use gift registries for other events, by race/ethnicity, October 2006
Registry evites to catch hold
Figure 64: Methods of informing guests about a registry, by gender, October 2006
The home ownership—housewarming gifts connection
Figure 65: Sales of new and existing homes, 2000-05
Wooing the groom—Home Depot
Charities vie for a slice of the wedding pie
What’s hot and what’s not
A gift for every occasion
Gift cards: a possible challenger
Smaller families and the infant registry market
The emergence of non-traditional gift registries
 MARKET FORECAST
Gift registry market
Figure 66: Forecast of the total value of the U.S. gift registry market, at current and constant prices, 2006-11
Forecast Factors
APPENDIX: TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
Association of Bridal Consultants