In the immortal words of Jerry Maguire, ‘Show me the
money'. That's at least according to the latest data from the
BRC-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor, which shows that
consumers would rather receive money or gift cards than any other
gift.
Over a third of consumers (34%) would like to receive money or
gift cards this Christmas, followed closely by clothes (28%),
chocolate and sweets (27%) and then alcohol and jewellery (both
at 19%). When looking at what gifts people were likely to give to
others, sweet treats topped the list at (37%), money and gift
cards came second at (36%), then clothing (31%), alcohol (24%)
and homeware and jewellery (both 22%).
The survey also revealed that one in ten (10%) people would be
happy to receive nothing, though only 5% felt this was an
appropriate “gift” to others. This sentiment was most keenly felt
among Gen X and Boomers, while only 2% of Gen Z felt it
appropriate to give or receive nothing.
Three other festive takeaways:
- Gen Z were most likely to want clothing (41%), while all
other generations' most wanted gift was money or gift cards
- Women were most likely to give sweets and chocolates (45%)
while men preferred to give money or gift cards (31%)
- People in London were almost twice as likely to want
technology items as the rest of the country (29% vs 15% overall)
Harvir Dhillon, Economist at the BRC, said:
“Every year consumers are faced with more choice than ever
before, so it's little surprise that many people find money and
gift cards the most convenient choice for giving and receiving.
The popularity of chocolate and other confectionery shows they
are likely to go down a treat as a festive gift. But whatever
you're planning on giving this Christmas, we recommend not
leaving it to the last minute, or risk being left giving nothing
on the big day!”
-ENDS-
If you would like the results of the questions by Gender,
Generation, Location, Working status, or Income, please contact
the Press Office. Generations are defined as: Gen Z (18-27),
Millennial (28-43), Gen X (44-59), and Boomer (60-78).
