Fashion, Technology Top Gen Y Wish Lists This Holiday, According to RAMA

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Fashion, Technology Top Gen Y Wish Lists This Holiday, According to RAMA

Washington, DC, November, 28, 2006 - From fashion to technology, Gen Y consumers know exactly what they are asking for this holiday season.  A recent survey on what Gen Y consumers want most as a holiday gift, conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) by promotions agency SLANT, found that for today’s younger consumers, aged 13-28, technology, fashion and luxury goods, such as designer watches and purses, rank at the top of their holiday wish lists.

“Gen Yers typically engage in a variety of media at one time, keeping them on the pulse of the hippest brands and hottest technology,” said Mike Gatti, Executive Director of RAMA. “As a result, Gen Y usually knows about the next big thing before it even hits the stores.”

Known for their technological savvy, it is no surprise that close to half (46%) of Gen Y respondents identified tech-related items as their top gifts and 12.5 percent of survey respondents identified an iPod or iPod accessory as their most desired gift.  Nearly one-in-four (22%) respondents said that they would most like to receive fashion-related items, citing such brands as Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister, and 14.5 percent of respondents identified money or gift cards as their most desired gift.

Gift giving can be difficult, especially when it comes to the social and spontaneous Y Generation.  According to the survey, close to one in five (17%) respondents said that they anticipate re-gifting at least one of their gifts this year.  In addition, nearly 12 percent of Gen Y respondents have previously sold a holiday gift online, turning to sites such as eBay. According to the survey respondents, when it comes to getting rid of an unwanted item, men are more than twice as likely as women to sell unwanted gifts online (16.7% of men vs. 7.7% of women).

"If you're worried about finding the perfect gift for the Gen Y’er in the family, you can’t go wrong with a gift card or cash,” said Slant President Meredith Belloli. “Gen Y is a generation that loves customization and choosing their own gifts is at the top of their lists."

Combining trendspotter techniques and resources with feedback from Gen Yers across the country, Slant has compiled a top 10 list of some unique gift ideas for the Gen Y set.

Top 10 Gen Y Holiday Gifts
1.      T-shirts from Threadless
2.      Water Bottles by SIGG
3.      Belkin SportCommand for iPod
4.      Crocs Prima Ballet Slip-On
5.      Golden Tee Golf Plug-n-Play TV Game
6.      UglyDolls
7.      The College Humor Guide To College Book
8.      Timbuk2 Custom Laptop Messenger Bag
9.      OPI Holiday Collection Nail Lacquer
10.    Pyramat S2000 Sound Rocker Chair

SLANT is a privately held company headquartered in Chicago. It specializes in the development of customized and engaging promotions for Fortune 500 brands that are targeting Generation Y consumers. It offers strategic planning, brand development, creative and calendar development, grassroots marketing, and interactive and experiential promotions. www.thinkslant.com 

The Retail Advertising & Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation, is a trade association of over 1500 retail marketing and advertising executives, plus their supporting partners from the advertising agency, media and service-provider areas. RAMA sponsors the annual Retail Advertising Conference, the largest single gathering of retail marketing and advertising professionals in the industry today. RAMA also produces the RACie Awards Competition, the most prestigious creative contest in retail. www.rama-nrf.org

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