`Tis the Season to Give Gifts without Reason; Survey Reveals That Online Shoppers Admit to Giving Inappropriate Gifts

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2005--It is not always the thought that counts or is remembered but rather the thoughtlessness of gift giving. According to a recent BizRate Research survey of 1,012 online buyers conducted for leading comparison shopping search site Shopzilla (www.shopzilla.com), nearly half of Internet shoppers (47%) have received a holiday gift that they felt was inappropriate, and among those who have received inappropriate gifts, more than half (53%) have received such gifts three or more times.

What's Not Topping Wish Lists?

This gifting survey also showed that 88% of these gifts were considered "inappropriate" because the item was off base. Topping the list of lukewarm gifts (60%) were tacky home decorations. Other inappropriate gifts cited by shoppers included non-returnable items, clothing that didn't fit, candy to a diabetic, or religious books that weren't the receiver's religion.

The Culprits

Shoppers say that they receive such gifts from acquaintances, while 26% are from co-workers. Regardless, most say that they would not mention anything to the person who gave the improper gift. When it comes to receiving an inappropriate gift, action, or rather lack of action, speaks louder than words. A majority of online shoppers (76%) admit to not letting their givers know what they really think about their gift. The reason being that half of them claim to receive such gifts from close or relatively close friends. A small margin (14%) reports giving the inappropriate gift back to the giver, and among those who do, 85% were compelled to give an explanation.

When It Comes to Tacky Gift Giving, It's Better to Receive Than to Give

Although receiving inappropriate gifts is common, 21% percent reports to actually giving such a gift. Most of the inappropriate gifts online shoppers were "guilty" of giving were items that the recipient didn't care for, nor used. The spectrum of bad gifts ranges from something too practical (e.g., a frying pan) to sexually suggestive items that the receiver didn't appreciate. Additional items included food or beverage items that were counterintuitive to the recipient's lifestyle.

"Gift giving is truly an art form, and not everyone has the time or skill to search for that perfect gift. Those who either lack the talent or patience can take advantage of the ease of online shopping," said Helen Malani, chief shopping expert, Shopzilla, Inc. "Shopping with web tools such as Shopzilla's Flexibrowse helps shoppers select products by refined attributes, thus providing a safety valve to ensure you tap into the needs and wants of the recipient."

About The Study

The study, conducted by BizRate Research, a division of Shopzilla, Inc., was based on a point-of-sale survey with a sample of 1,012 online buyers from October 28 through November 1, 2005.

About Shopzilla, Inc.

Shopzilla, formerly BizRate.com, is the most powerful and easiest-to-use shopping search site on the Web. With an index of more than 30 million products from more than 60,000 stores, Shopzilla uses ShopRank, a proprietary patent-pending algorithm, to help shoppers instantly find virtually anything on sale from anyone, anywhere on the Web at the best price. Shopzilla also features powerful comparison tools and BizRate consumer reviews of stores and products, the Web's largest and most trusted consumer feedback network. Every week Shopzilla prepares millions of shoppers to make smarter, more confident purchases and sends them directly to the checkout page of thousands of online merchants. Shopzilla also operates the BizRate consumer feedback network, with more than 2.5 million members and about 1 million fresh reviews per month. Shopzilla powers shopping search for many of the Web's largest consumer sites, including AOL, Lycos, Time Warner's RoadRunner, and many others.

Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles-based company also operates sites in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Shopzilla is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), a diverse media concern with interests in national television networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, TV retailing, and licensing and syndication.

For more information, visit www.shopzilla.com, the smarter way to shop.

                 Top 5 Rules for Gift-Giving Etiquette

1) No "practical" gifts. People buy vacuum cleaners and hammers
   for themselves.

2) No "generic" gifts. Rule of thumb -- if you can give the same
   gift to your mother, sister, brother, AND co-worker it's a generic
   gift.

3) If you re-gift, use new wrapping paper and make sure it's a
   good fit.

4) Do not give personal items such as perfume or undergarments to
   mere acquaintances.

5) No fruitcake!