It’s hard to avoid the fact that couples marry later these days. The average age at first marriage has risen to 28 for men and 26 for women. The second marriage median age is 36 years for brides and 38 for grooms. More than 70 percent have lived together by the time they marry, according to the Wall Street Journal.
As a result, more of those about to enter wedded bliss prefer to choose their own gifts, which often are out of the ordinary. Thus the proliferation of gift registries at everyplace from hardware stores to sports outfitters. About 88 percent of engaged couples set up a registry and, while in-store initial registration continues in popularity, online-only registries grew to 79 percent in 2010, from 69 percent in 2009.
Along with kitchen knives and kayaks, couples are increasingly requesting gift cards as wedding presents. CardAvenue.com, for example, allows them to ask for cash without asking for cash, while specifying the stores from which they’d like to shop.
As the first and only online gift card registry, Card Avenue allows brides and grooms to create a list of gift cards for their favorite stores, share it with friends in a variety of ways — including via social media — and buy the items that truly suit their lifestyles and tastes.
This trend isn’t really surprising, considering gift card transaction value in the U.S. passed the $100 billion mark in 2011 — a new industry high. In fact, gift card popularity peaked during the holidays this year, totalling $27.8 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation.
This post was supplied by Card Avenue for the bride/groom-to-be out there!
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