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| Gartner Says Consumers Will Spend $2 Billion for Valentine's Day in 2001 |
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SAN JOSE, Calif., February 13, 2001 — Rising prices, along with more consumers buying online will help push total North American sales (offline and online) for all goods and services for Valentine's Day 2001 to $2 billion this year, a 25 percent increase over last year's revenue, according to Gartner Group, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB). In 2000, Valentine's sales totaled $1.5 billion. One key reason for the increased spending this year are higher prices. Across the board - from flower vendors to premium food vendors - prices have risen over the last 12 months. A larger and more mature online market is another reason. Gartner estimates that the online market has increased by over 16 million users in North America from 2000 to 2001. More mature Internet users also purchase in greater amounts than first-year users. Valentine's retailers have also added gourmet foods, spirits and gifts to the traditional revenue producing goods such as chocolate and flowers. Marketers are not radically changing their strategy this holiday to target a different audience than their typical buyer. Hallmark targets 39-year-old females with $50k+ income and a college education. Proflowers.com targets women from 25 to 50 who make over $80,000 a year. Neither retailer typically targets males from 18 to 50. "Both Hallmark and Proflowers.com claim that the Valentine's holiday is the one time in the year that males buy flowers and gifts in quantity. For the rest of the year, the recurring sales come from their core female audience and that is where their marketing efforts are placed," said Mr. Labatt. Additional information on this research is available to subscribers of Gartner's e-Business Services. These programs are part of a wide range of Gartner services examining the e-business industry. These programs are designed to help senior executives, strategic planners and investors capitalize on emerging opportunities by providing research and analysis on electronic commerce and Internet marketplaces. Additional information on these programs is available on Gartner's Web site at www.gartner.com. To subscribe to these services, please call 800-419-DATA or 408-468-8009. About Gartner Gartner provides unrivaled thought leadership for more than 10,000 organizations, helping clients achieve their business objectives through the intelligent and efficient use of technology. Additionally, Gartner helps technology companies identify and maximize technology market opportunities. Gartner's technology content and strong brand reach IT professionals globally through Gartner Research, its research and advisory unit; Gartner Services, its custom consulting unit; Gartner Events, including Gartner's renowned Symposia; and, at www.gartner.com. Gartner subsidiary TechRepublic, Inc. (www.techrepublic.com) is the leading online destination developed exclusively for IT professionals by IT professionals. Gartner, founded in 1979 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, achieved fiscal 2000 revenue of $859 million. Gartner's 4,600 associates, including 1,400 research analysts and consultants, are in more than 80 locations worldwide. For more information about Gartner's industry-leading products and services, please visit us on the Web at www.gartner.com. |
| CONTACT: |
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Christy Pettey 408-468-8312 christy.pettey@gartner.com |
