People who enjoy eating out and shopping online during the holidays can reap immediate time-and cost-saving benefits through resources such as Restaurant.com. The company today announced the launch of bundled certificate gift packs "for him," "for her," "for them," "for everyone," and for special occasions within its all-new gift center. Gift packs offer at least 60-percent savings and last-minute email delivery.
Featured gift pack merchants offer gourmet food and lifestyle products including steak, seafood, coffee, wine, fruit, cookies and spa treatments for recipients located anywhere in the country. A variety of bundled gift quantities and budget-friendly options are available such as a $125 value gift pack for $50, $375 value gift pack for $150 and other denominations.
"Traditional holiday shopping as we used to know it does not exist. Busy schedules often don't allow enough time for driving around, fighting crowds and standing in line to make purchases. Shoppers are now well informed cost connoisseurs with unlimited online selections at their fingertips," said Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Restaurant.com.
"With Restaurant.com gift packs we're encouraging shoppers to treat themselves to an easier shopping experience. We're working with quality restaurants across the country and some of the best retailers on the Web to deliver the goods this holiday season--unbeatable gifting options and valuable savings on dining, steak, lobster, cookies, coffee, spa treatments and more," said Chessick.
All gift packs can be purchased within seconds and printed out or sent via email, offering fast turn-around and delivery. Gift recipients visit Restaurant.com, click "Redeem a Gift" and enter the 12-character code listed in the email or printout. After recipients enter the code and register, Restaurant.com lists all of the merchant and gift certificates included in the gift pack. A $125 "Holiday Cheer Pack," for example, contains:
- $25 Mrs. Fields Cookies Merchant Certificate
- $25 International Wine Cellars Merchant Certificate
- $25 The Fruit Company Merchant Certificate
- $25 Boca Java Coffee Merchant Certificate
- $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate
Recipients click on links to individual certificates in the pack for specific redemption instructions and associated terms. Restaurant.com gift certificates offer "store credit" toward dining certificates valid at more than 8,000 restaurants nationwide. Recipients can search Restaurant.com's restaurant database and select a restaurant to apply their credit.
Participating gift pack merchants include Allen Brothers, Boca Java, International Wine Cellars, Lobster Gram, Mrs. Fields, SpaWish.com and The Fruit Company. Gift packs cater to a variety of tastes and occasions with themes such as the "V.I.P. Pack," "Wow Pack," "Date Pack," "All About Her Pack," "It's a Guy Thing Pack," "Zen Master Pack," and more. Gift pack certificates can be personalized, tailored and addressed to the recipient, and either printed out or sent via email.
According to the recent Forrester Research report "U.S. eCommerce: Five-Year Forecast And Data Overview," nearly 40 percent of Web shoppers say they are pressed for time, and more than 70 percent find shopping online easier than through other channels. The company also reports that U.S. online retail sales this holiday season will increase 23 percent over 2005 to reach $27 billion.
Editors Notes
1). Visit https://www.restaurant.com/ for high-resolution Restaurant.com Gift Center images.
2). Cary Chessick, president and CEO of Restaurant.com, is available for interviews upon request.