According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, 46% of online holiday shopping takes place at work.
A survey of just more than 7,100 by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation, found that 36.5 percent of consumers say they will browse for or buy gifts this year through computers in their workplace.
Employers that include concierge services as part of their employee benefits package are able to combat this holiday stress and downtime dilemma head-on. In fact, clients of Circles report that employees save an average of 3.5 hours every time they use the service. "While employees tap into our service year-round for anything from vacation planning to making dinner or theater reservations, assistance with gift buying during the holidays is huge," says Kraus.
This holiday season, a new emerging trend in gift-giving centers around experiences. Some of the most popular requests fulfilled by Circles include:
Personalized yoga packages
Adventure activities such as being a fighter pilot for a day or riding shotgun in a NASCAR-style stock car
Customized in-home entertainment, like a sommelier evening, a personal chef providing a week of customized meals, or even a customized cooking lesson with an acclaimed chef.
A consultation with a professional organizer, either for home or the office.
Janet Kraus is CEO of Boston-based Circles, a loyalty and experiential marketing company. Circles creates and delivers concierge services, events and unique experiences provided as customer and employee rewards for some of the world´s leading brands. Janet can be reached at 617-622-6200; www.circles.com.
Media Contact:
Cindy Kazan 414.352.3535;
Communi-K, Inc.
969 West Jonathan Lane
Milwaukee, WI 53217
414.352.3535
FAX: 414.352.2331