Moms' secrets: Stay on budget, be organized and put yourself last

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - With Christmas only two weeks away, Walmart Canada today announced Canadian moms' top shopping trends for this holiday season. These trends are based on Walmart Canada's MomDEX*, a quarterly national survey of over 2,000 mothers from coast-to-coast.

On average, moms plan to spend $790 this holiday season, although 50% of moms expect to spend $500 or less on their holiday shopping this year. Walmart is the most popular holiday shopping destination among moms—80% plan to shop at the discount retailer—with the liquor store coming in second place(64%).

The 2000 Canadian moms who participated in Walmart Canada's MomDEX survey say this season they plan to stay on budget, spend more on their children as they get older, save money on décor to invest in gifts, be organized, and not spend on themselves. Here are the highlights of the MomDEX survey:

1. Stay on budget
Moms say they are keen to stay on budget this holiday season. They are reducing their holiday spending so they can avoid the head-ache of post-holiday bills.

• 54% of moms said they are buying gifts that are less expensive
• 54% of moms said they are using flyers to plan their shopping trip
• 50% are buying for fewer people

2. Not everyone is equal in mom's eyes
Moms put kids first, by far, spending significantly more on her children than on her spouse or partner. The family pet is a distant last. And the older the child the more expensive the gift. On average, moms said they plan to spend:

• $104 on a child under 1 year old
• $169 on a child aged 1 to 7
• $206 on a child aged 8 to 12
• $225 on teenagers
• $130 on a spouse
• $25 on the family pet

3. Electronics trumps décor
Moms say that their kids are asking for electronic gifts, like tablets and gaming systems. Given the big price tags that come with these kinds of gifts, moms are scaling back in other areas:

• 24% will spend less on outdoor décor
• 30% will spend less on indoor décor
• 30% will spend less on gift wrapping

4. Mom is organized
Moms start shopping early and plan to finish by mid December:

• 40% of moms start their Christmas shopping in October
• 41% of moms have finished their shopping by early December

5. Mom is last on her list
Moms spend less on themselves during the holidays than they do the rest of the year. Most don't buy themselves a gift, and if they do they buy apparel to wear over the holidays:

• 60% of moms say they spend less on themselves over the holidays
• Only 18% of moms buy themselves a holiday gift

About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of more than 372 locations nationwide serving more than one million customers each day. Its flagship online store, www.Walmart.ca, serves over 250,000 customers per day with online shopping and free shipping on 1,000s of items. With over 90,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as having one of Canada's top 10 corporate cultures. Walmart Canada is focused on helping Canadian families in need. Since 1994, Walmart has donated and raised more than $160 million to Canadian charities and not-for-profit organizations. Additional company information can be found at walmartcanada.ca, facebook.com/walmartcanada and at twitter.com/@walmartcanada.

* The research for the MomDEX Holiday survey was conducted by Research Management Group for Walmart Canada between November 8 and November 18, 2012.   2006 Canadian moms with children under 18 were interviewed, and results were weighted to reflect the georgraphic population distribution in Canada. The margin of error for the national survey is +/- 2.2% at the 95% confidence.

SOURCE Walmart Canada