Over 1 in 4 (28%) consumers say they will spend €300-€500 on Christmas gifts this year while 1 in 5 (19%) will spend €500-€700 according to a new survey.* The research carried out by leading gift card company, One4all Ireland into our Christmas shopping habits reveals that when it comes to shopping for gifts for the festive season over half (59%) will spend up to eight hours searching for the perfect gift while 1 in 5 say they will spend more than 13 hours trawling the shops in search of a present for that special someone.
The survey also found hat over a quarter (28%) of those questioned say that their partner is the most difficult person to buy for on their Christmas list. A fifth (21%) say that a gift for their Dad leaves them stumped while 20% say they never know what to buy their Mum. When it comes to who buys the worst presents, the vote is split with 13% saying their brother buys the worst gifts and 11% say their best friend is the worst present buyer they know.
According to the research, almost a third (31%) say that a bubble bath set is on their worst gift list this year followed closely by the onesie (20%).
The top five worst gifts are
- Bubble bath set (31%)
- Onesie (20%)
- Christmas jumper (15%)
- Socks (13%)
- A foot spa (10%)
Almost half (45%) say they would prefer to receive a gift card this Christmas rather than a present (38%) or cash (17%). 44% admit to sometimes being disappointed with their Christmas presents while 6% say that the presents they receive are always a letdown. A mannerly 53% of people polled say that they tend to mask their disappointment and pretend they love the gift but 12% admit to saying thank you but secretly plotting to exchange the gift at a later date.
Over a third of respondents (36%) say they do a Kris Kindle or Secret Santa in their office with the majority (85%) spending up to €20 on a present for a work colleague. Tea bags, olive oil and a pencil were just some of the worst gifts received by those surveyed from their colleagues with one respondent claiming they received the gift they had bought their co-worker the year before!
It seems that while Christmas may be getting earlier and earlier every year, most of us tend to leave our shopping to December (41%). A more organised 30% start shopping in November and 9% admit to picking up gifts for the festive season all year round.
It appears that most of us still prefer the personal in-store experience with almost 3 in 4 people shopping on the high street or department stores versus 23% shopping online. Weekends are the most popular time for Christmas shopping (39%) while 16% say they tend to buy their gifts during late night shopping.
Traditionally, gift cards have been seen as an impersonal present, but One4All have come up with a clever solution to that one too, as stuck shoppers can now personalise their One4All cards – see one4all.ie/personalise for more!
