Survey Finds Credit Cards Still Have Lure for More Than 12 Million Americans

Almost 130 million Americans plan to rely on loyalty programs for rewards and discounts when shopping for gifts this holiday season according to a new Ipsos Public Affairs/SoundBite Communications poll released today.  Despite a rough economic climate, many men will not take advantage of sales, deals and other ways to curb spending, while 12 million Americans would spend more on holiday-related expenses if they had more credit.

Survey highlights include:

• Loyalty programs powerful this holiday season—Sixty-two percent of respondents, which equates to almost 130 million Americans, plan to shop with particular retailers to take advantage of their loyalty programs, such as frequent shopper rewards, coupons or discounts.  In fact, almost a quarter (23 percent) plan to do all or most of their holiday shopping where they can take advantage of these programs.  Loyalty programs are particularly powerful with parents with children under 18 and adults under 55.  Retailers have a chance to attract more shoppers this holiday season by promoting their loyalty programs.

• Bargain hunting on the rise—More than seven in ten Americans say that in light of the current economic situation, they plan to look for more deals, sales or coupons from retailers than they did last year.  Parents are the top bargain hunters.  People are getting more creative when it comes to sending low cost, personalized gifts, with nearly 70 million Americans planning to send more cards or photos instead of gifts this holiday season.

• Battle of the sexes continues—When it comes to coupons and deals, nearly 35 percent of men will leave money on the table, saying that they do not plan to look for deals more than they did last holiday shopping season.  The survey found men do not pay attention to deals like women do, with women being much more likely than men to look for more deals and coupons prior to making a purchase this year (77 percent vs. 65 percent).

• Credit still has its lure—While most Americans are hesitant to rely on credit this holiday season, the availability of a new credit card or increased credit limit would have an impact on the shopping habits of more than 12 million Americans.  Six percent of survey respondents indicated more available credit would encourage them to increase their holiday budget.  Westerners are more likely than residents of other regions of the country to say they would spend more than they would otherwise if they had an increased line of credit.

“This survey demonstrates the impact the economy has had on consumers’ shopping plans and points to opportunities for retailers and card issuers to gain a bigger share of consumers’ spending this holiday season,” said Mark Friedman, chief marketing officer at SoundBite.  “Retailers and card issuing banks need to take advantage of every communication channel available to make consumers aware of specials, loyalty programs and new credit offers.”

The survey, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs and SoundBite Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: SDBT), was a telephone survey with a random sample of 1,000 Americans ages 18 and older, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

About SoundBite Communications, Inc.
SoundBite Communications provides on-demand, integrated multi-channel communications solutions that enable clients to achieve superior business results. Building on its foundation as a leading provider of automated voice messaging services, SoundBite offers integrated voice, text and email messaging solutions that help clients deliver the right message, to the right customer, using the right channel, at the right time. Organizations in industries such as collections, financial services, retail, telecom and media, and utilities rely on the SoundBite Intelligent Communications Platform to send over a billion messages annually for collections, customer care, and sales and marketing applications. For more information, visit http://www.SoundBite.com.