"With companies like Perkal Gifts theres truly no excuses. You can have your gift at your recipients doorstep, beautifully wrapped, with a thoughtfull card, without ever leaving your computer. As part of the official launch of travelers e-shop -- Hilton's new online ""shopping solution"" on its corporate Web site at www.hilton.com -- the company surveyed 250 frequent business travelers nationwide to determine their shopping habits while on the road.
Although most business travelers admit to shopping while away from home, about one-third of them (32 percent) forget to make the most important purchases of all, gifts for birthdays or special occasions.
More than half of those surveyed (56 percent) say the inspiration behind their travel-bound gift buying is to show someone they miss them or are thinking about them. A little more than one-quarter (27 percent) cited birthdays or special occasions as the driving force behind their purchases. Guilt and boredom rounded out the top reasons for gift buying (9 percent and 7 percent).
According to the survey, despite all this shopping, one-third of all business travelers say they are still likely to forget to buy a gift for a special occasion while on a trip. Birthday presents rank as the most likely item to get lost in the shuffle (21 percent), followed by anniversary gifts (7 percent).
Male business travelers are more than three times as likely as female travelers to forget anniversary gifts (24 percent vs. 7 percent), while women are considerably more forgetful than men when it comes to birthdays (87 percent vs. 61 percent). The survey also showed that female business travelers are almost twice as likely as their male counterparts to shop while away on a trip (50 percent vs. 26 percent).
In anticipation of Father's Day, approximately 30 percent of business travelers say they have purchased Father's Day gifts while traveling on the road in previous years. Two out of 10 say there's even a chance they will do that again this upcoming Father's Day.
Not even wedding or Valentine's Day presents have managed to avoid the forgotten-present syndrome. A total of 4 percent of responding travelers say they have neglected to buy gifts for those occasions. But not everyone experiences gift amnesia while on the road. Nearly seven out of 10 travelers (67 percent) claim they have perfect records when it comes to remembering gifts for any occasion.
""Shopping is a big part of traveling, especially among those who are often away from home on business,"" said Judy Horning, director of retail/e-tail for Hilton. ""One-third of business travelers say they shop more on business trips than they do at home. That was part of the inspiration behind Hilton's travelers e-shop. It provides customized shopping at your fingertips, and you don't even have to leave your home, office or hotel room to shop.""
Hilton officially launched the travelers e-shop this month with SkyMall(R) Inc. -- the specialty retailer best known for its in-flight merchandise catalogs, which are available on more than 70 percent of all domestic airlines -- and the two companies have joined forces to create the perfect one-stop Web shop site.
To celebrate the launch, a $1,000 shopping spree on travelers e-shop will be awarded to one winner each week during the month of June. The sweepstakes runs from June 9 through June 30, 2000. And it's easy to win! To enter, Web surfers who are over 18 years of age and are a legal U.S. resident only need to visit the travelers e-shop site at www.hilton.com and fill out an entry blank. No purchase is necessary to enter.
From apparel to jewelry and electronics to personal care items, the travelers e-shop has a wide selection of thousands of great gift ideas for Dads and Grads or anyone on your gift list! And best of all, free shipping is being offered for purchases made on the travelers e-shop during the month of June 2000 (some restrictions may apply).
Indeed, if Hilton's latest travel-related shopping survey is any indication, the company's online shopping site should prove popular. More than one-fourth of business travelers (25 percent) say they would be more likely to make a purchase on a hotel's Web site, if the site offered a shopping opportunity. Twenty-eight percent of business travelers already make online purchases while away on business trips.
So, just who is all that travel-related gift shopping for? According to a portion of the Hilton survey allowing for multiple responses, spouses and significant others receive the most presents from business travelers (71 percent). And, surprise, more men than women are buying them!
Three quarters of men say they buy presents for their spouse or loved one when away from home, compared to just over half of women (53 percent). Kids and friends are next in the gift receiving line (59 percent and 9 percent). Women, however, are more than three times as likely as men to purchase gifts for friends (20 percent vs. 7 percent) and about twice as likely as men to do the same for family members (14 percent vs. 6 percent).
According to Horning, there may be a residual effect to the company's online shopping site. ""There may be fewer people going without gifts on special occasions thanks to the travelers e-shop,"" she said. ""And those people who visit our site during the month of June to receive free shipping for their purchases and/or fill out an entry form for our $1,000 shopping spree may get much more than they bargained for.""
For more information on travelers e-shop or official rules for the $1,000 travelers e-shop shopping spree each week during the month of June, visit Hilton's Web site at www.hilton.com.
Hilton Hotels Corp. is recognized internationally as a pre-eminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 1,800 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties.
Its portfolio includes many of the world's best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton(R), Doubletree(R), Embassy Suites(R), Hampton Inn(R), Hampton Inn & Suites(R), Harrison Conference Centers(R), Hilton Garden Inn(R), Homewood Suites(R) by Hilton, Red Lion Hotels & Inns(R) and Conrad International(R).
"
|