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Consumers Seen Spending More on Gift Cards

WASHINGTON — Holiday shoppers are expected to spend an average of $155.43 on gift cards this season, the highest amount since 2007 and up from $145.61 last year, according to the National Retail Federation here.

WASHINGTON — Holiday shoppers are expected to spend an average of $155.43 on gift cards this season, the highest amount since 2007 and up from $145.61 last year, according to the National Retail Federation here.

Total spending on gift cards will reach $27.8 billion, according to the NRF's 2011 Holiday Consumer Actions and Intentions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch. This marks the fifth year in a row that gift cards topped consumers' "wish lists," NRF noted in an earlier holiday survey.

Not only will more people purchase gift cards this holiday season (80.2% vs. 77.3% in 2010), gift givers will also spend more per card — an average of $43.23 per card, up from $41.48 last year. Men will spend significantly more on gift cards than women this year — an average of $164.24 vs. $147.06.

The most popular gift cards will to department stores (38.7%) or restaurants (33.8%), but shoppers also said they planned to buy gift cards to entertainment venues such as movie theater or music events; book stores; coffee shops; and discount stores.