New Groupon Survey Finds that 3 out of 4 Americans Fake Reactions to Gifts They Don’t Like

Most people won’t say anything to their family or friends if a holiday present misses the mark

Groupon surveyed 2,000 Americans on their reactions to opening holiday gifts. The findings, which should serve as an important guide to last-minute shoppers looking for gifting ideas that will go over well, showed that nearly quarters of respondents, 73 percent, regularly fake their reactions when opening a gift. (Graphic: Business Wire)

CHICAGO--()--In recognition of its first Holiday Spa*Tacular, which runs from Dec. 12-14 and showcases instant local gifting options from some of the top spas in the country, Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) (http://www.groupon.com) surveyed 2,000 Americans on their reactions to opening holiday gifts.

The findings, which should serve as an important guide to last-minute shoppers looking for gifting ideas that will go over well, showed that nearly quarters of respondents, 73 percent, regularly fake their reactions when opening a gift. In addition to faking a reaction, 8 out of ten respondents will lie and pretend to like a gift even when they hate it, according to the results. Only 10 percent of respondents said they would actually tell someone they didn’t like a gift.

“No one wants to give someone a bad gift this holiday season––and based on our research––they may never even know it if they do,” said Silvija Martincevic, vice president and general manager of health, beauty and wellness, Groupon. “The good news is that people aren’t looking for something overly complicated to make themselves happy, but rather something that speaks to their personality, involves one of their favorite hobbies or has sentimental value.”

The survey, conducted by market researchers, OnePoll, and commissioned by Groupon found the average person takes under five seconds to know if they like a present. The results also revealed that women are bigger fakers than men with 77 percent regularly faking their reaction to a gift compared to 63 percent of men.

Men are nearly twice as likely to say if they didn’t like a gift, with 17 percent of men dishing out true feedback versus just 9 percent of women. And if Grandma says she likes your gift she might not be telling the truth – the likelihood of saying if you don’t like a gift goes down with age, with just 8 percent of the over 55 category telling the truth.

“While there are a number of very good actors among our family and friends, we’ve found that the best gifts usually involve something more personalized and experiential,” Martincevic said.

Groupon's Holiday Spa*Tacular offers shoppers a number of ways to help make sure everyone on their list truly loves their gifts this year with available spa packages from top national brands and well-known places such as the following:

And throughout the three-day Holiday Spa*Tacular event, Groupon is giving everyone the opportunity to win a lifetime of massages––a $36,738 value. Anyone who purchases a beauty and spa deal during the event will be automatically entered to win or users can submit their name by visiting https://www.groupon.com/pages/lifetime-of-massages.**

On Tuesday, Dec. 13, users will receive an extra $10 OFF massages and facials with code LUXE10*, and on Weds., Dec. 14 users will receive an extra 25 percent off with code RELAX25* on beauty and spa deals. Massages, pampering packages, facials, mani-pedis and haircut and coloring services are some of the most popular types of beauty and spa deals sold via Groupon during the holiday season.

For more information on the survey results, please visit https://www.groupon.com/pages/gift-face.

To view Groupon’s entire collection of holiday gifts, visit the popular gift shop here https://www.groupon.com/occasion/gift-shop.

"Groupon" is a registered trademark of Groupon, Inc. All other names used may be trademarks owned by their respective holders.

*Valid only on Beauty and Spa deals. 1 unit per transaction; max 3 uses per customer. Up to $50 discount per deal. Exclusions apply. Please visit gr.pn/promofaq for full details.

**NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

The winner shall receive Groupon Bucks in an amount that will allow the winner to purchase one (1) sixty (60) minute standard massage on groupon.com (currently valued at thirty-nine dollars ($39 USD and CDN)) each month for thirty-one (31) years. Groupon Bucks will be deposited into the winner’s groupon.com account at periodic increments and will expire on a rolling basis if not used to purchase a massage during a particular month.

To enter by making a purchase, buy any Beauty & Spas Local voucher. To enter without making a purchase, complete the questionnaire located above. Limit 10 entries per person per day regardless of method of entry. Odds of winning depend on the total number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law. Sweepstakes only open to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18+. Entry period ends: 11:59 p.m. ET on 12/14/16. ARV of prize: $36,738 (USD & CAD). Subject to full Official Rules. Sponsor: Groupon Inc., 600 West Chicago Avenue, Ste. 400, Chicago, IL 60654. Groupon is not responsible and will not pay for Winner's travel to and from massage redemptions. Not all geographic markets may have massage providers offering services through Groupon that are within an immediately accessible geographic location.

About Groupon

Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is building the daily habit in local commerce, offering a vast mobile and online marketplace where people discover and save on amazing things to do, see, eat and buy. By enabling real-time commerce across local businesses, travel destinations, consumer products and live events, shoppers can find the best a city has to offer.

Groupon is redefining how small businesses attract and retain customers by providing them with customizable and scalable marketing tools and services to profitably grow their businesses.

To download Groupon's top-rated mobile apps, visit www.groupon.com/mobile. To search for great deals or subscribe to Groupon emails, visit www.groupon.com. To learn more about the company’s merchant solutions and how to work with Groupon, visit www.groupon.com/merchant.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Groupon
Nick Halliwell
nhalliwell@groupon.com
312.999.3812

Release Summary

Groupon surveyed 2,000 Americans on their reactions to opening holiday gifts, finding that 73 percent regularly fake their reactions when opening a gift.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Groupon
Nick Halliwell
nhalliwell@groupon.com
312.999.3812