The Cost of Love This Valentines Day? It’s £9.99

New Research Reveals We’re a Nation of Tightwads

New findings from price comparison website, thecomparisons.com, have revealed the true cost of love and it’s nowhere near as high as you’d think! A staggering 55% of people said they are planning to spend less than £10 on their partners, or even buy no present at all, this Valentine’s Day.

thecomparisons.com questioned 1,005 people across the UK in January 2008 to help it understand consumer behaviour when it comes to spending money on gifts and presents.

The findings paint Brits as a nation of romantic tightwads; just 2% said they’d spend more than £100 on a Valentine’s gift for their partner this February 14th, while only three of the 1,005 people questioned said they’d spend more than £500. A third (35%) of people said they’d spend between £10 and £50.

Surprisingly, women emerged as the tightest gender and were 20% more likely than men to spend less than £10, or buy no gift at all for their other half. Blokes, on the other hand, were twice as likely as women to spend between £50 and £100 on a romantic gift.

The South East emerged as the tightest region, being more likely (60%) than anywhere else in the UK to spend less than £10 or buy no present at all for their partners. Close behind was Scotland with 58% and the South West with 55%. At the other end of the scale was the Republic of Ireland, where a quarter of people planned to spend between £50 and £100 on their partners – the highest out of any region.

Young people also emerged as more romantic than older age groups; three quarters (75%) of those in the 55-64 age group were planning to spend less than £10, or nothing at all on their partners, compared with only 41% of 18-24 year olds.

Chris McDonald, Director of thecomparisons.com, said: “As the research shows, at £9.99, the price of love is not very high! People are either planning to shop around and get a great bargain this Valentine’s Day, or are actively shunning it. Of course, if you are after the best deal, and want your money to work hardest for you, then a price comparison website is a great place to start.”

• 1,005 people were surveyed in this study across the UK. Your Say Pays is a research panel operated by The Leadership Factor, the UK’s leading source of (customer) satisfaction data. For further details www.leadershipfactor.com or tel 01484 467004 for further details
  

Expansion Set for the Comparisons

Successful launch drives new appointments

Following strong business growth, thecomparisons.com, the new Leeds-based price comparison website which launched at the end of last year, has recruited two new team members.

The new additions will be Dianne Hough, who joins as Business Development Manager, and Simon-John Roberts, who has been appointed as Web Development Manager. Both are set to play a key role in the ambitious growth plans of the business over the next year.

Dianne Hough previously worked with Yorkshire digital agency, Leap Frog. In her new role as Business Development Manager, she will be responsible for building relationships with the company’s extensive panel of partners and will work to implement and develop new and existing services and products for the website.

Dianne said: “I am looking forward to the challenges of working with such an ambitious and focused team. It is an exciting time to joining the business, which has already made its mark in the industry, despite its relative infancy.”

Simon-John Roberts joins thecomparisons.com from Idesta, where he was involved in developing 3D emergent technology. As Web Development Manager, he will be responsible for driving the technical aspects of the site and maintaining a unique customer experience. He is currently focused on bringing in new channels and services as well as overseeing technical development.

Simon said: “I am passionate about working with emergent technologies and am very excited about The Comparisons as a brand, which is unique and has immense potential.”

Chris McDonald, Director of thecomparisons.com, said: “Our first two months have been incredibly positive and we are pleased with the rate at which our team is expanding. With the right people in place we can continue to build and grow the business.”