Shopping.com Ready for Holidays with Gift Cards Online

“Gift cards are the most convenient way to buy the perfect gift for anyone on your holiday shopping list,” says Alisa Weiner, general manager of online comparison shopping at Shopping.com. “No matter who you’re shopping for, Shopping.com can help you quickly find and purchase the right gift cards from your favorite stores all in one place.”

In the past few years, gift card popularity has soared both with gift givers and recipients. A recent consumer survey commissioned by Shopping.com in October 2007 found that 77 percent of consumers would prefer to receive a gift card from their favorite retailer or restaurant over a tangible gift this holiday. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they prefer to give gift cards as presents, and 85 percent of gift givers plan to spend between $11 - $50 on each gift card they purchase.

As more time-starved consumers opted for the convenience of giving gift cards, related sales topped $28 billion in 2006, a 55 percent increase year-over-year according to the National Retail Federation. Archstone Consulting predicts that gift card sales will continue to surge, jumping 25 percent in 2007 to a record $35 billion in sales.

The recent Shopping.com consumer survey also named gift cards for apparel and shoes as the most popular cards desired by recipients, followed by electronics and online music gift cards.

Shopping.com helps visitors easily search for cards by category, price range or by store, from one convenient destination. Shoppers can find and compare gift cards this holiday season from merchants such as Beauty.com, Bloomingdale’s, Brookstone, Frontgate and Neiman Marcus, among others, by visiting http://www.shopping.com/gift-cards.