Nov 13, 2012, 2:45pm

Catalog Spree, your personal digital mall that lets you browse, discover and shop your favorite catalogs on the iPad and the web, today announced the results of its Holiday Shopping Inspiration Survey, which polled 2,632 consumers on how they will find inspiration for gift ideas and create wish lists this holiday season.

Major survey findings show that when consumers look for ideas and inspiration to create wish lists, on average:

• 74% plan to search online and 69% plan to use digital catalogs. Digital catalogs are set to increase by 10x in 2013, up from 10 million in 2012 to 100 million next year, based on Catalog Spree’s own projection data.
• 63% use the old-fashioned pen and paper method to build their wish lists. The second most popular approach for list building is online wish lists (i.e. Amazon, Catalog Spree, etc.).

“It’s clear that the window shopping experience this holiday season – browsing to find inspiration – has moved online,” said Joaquin Ruiz, CEO of Catalog Spree. “The catalog shopping trend is transitioning online, with 87% of respondents reporting that they plan to find inspiration and shop for gifts from digital catalogs this year.”

Other survey findings include:

• Nearly three quarters of consumers (74%) are not waiting for Black Friday and have already started their holiday shopping. The beginning of November is the most popular time of year with 29% of consumers starting their holiday shopping. Only 13% of women wait until December to shop, while 19% of men do.
• Despite recent data on the impact of social media on gift buying decisions, only 35% of survey respondents plan to share their gift lists using social media channels. Of the consumers that will use social media to share their wish lists, most plan to share via Facebook (81%).

With over 300 catalogs from popular brands including Anthropologie, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and more, Catalog Spree is the online place where consumers can browse catalogs, discover new brands and share products they like with friends via email, Facebook and Pinterest.

Full results of the Holiday Shopping Inspiration Survey may be found here.

ABOUT CATALOG SPREE:

Catalog Spree is your personal digital mall, the online place where you browse gorgeous catalogs, discover new brands and share products you like. The award-winning iPad app brings the fun of window shopping online, connecting you with the brands you love. Catalog Spree is a privately held company based in Los Altos, California, and backed by Comcast Ventures and Relay Ventures. For more information visit http://catalogspree.com/.