68% of Brits Would Prefer To Receive a ‘Useful Gift’ Over a Traditional Gift This Christmas
A survey by has revealed that 68% of Brits would prefer to receive a useful or functional gift rather than a traditional gift this Christmas. Of those surveyed, 58% said they would prefer a holiday as a gift over all else, but 37% admit that they will be spending far less on gifting due to the strains of the cost of living crisis.
This Christmas, the way we are gifting is changing due to both economic and financial factors. Instead of traditional token items such as clothing, books or chocolates, research has found Brits are more likely to ask for haircuts or home cleaning services, as revealed that people are more inclined towards useful presents as we head into the 2023 Christmas period.
The Change in Gifting Habits
The survey of 2,000 adults, who celebrate Christmas across the UK, revealed that one in three would now prefer to give a gift that truly makes a difference to the person's life, rather than a less impactful, traditional present. As Google search demand sees an 82% increase for the term “useful gifts for adults” in 2023 compared to 2022, it is clear that more Brits are looking at changing the way they give presents for Christmas. 39% of those surveyed reveal they are likely or very likely to give a useful gift this Christmas with 44% undecided.
When it comes to receiving gifts, only 29% would prefer a traditional gift over a more useful or functional one.
The Top 10 Most Popular ‘Functional’ Christmas Gifts to Receive
It’s revealed that a Holiday is the most popular gift to receive, with 58% saying that they would prefer this over a traditional Christmas gift. Haircuts were revealed to be the second most popular ‘functional’ gift (35%) to receive while paying for a painter or decorator (22%) came in third place.
| ‘Functional/Useful’ Gift to Receive | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A Holiday | 58% |
| Haircut | 35% |
| Painter/Decorator | 22% |
| Car Servicing | 21% |
| Oven Cleaned | 21% |
| Home Cleaning Services | 19% |
| Gym Membership | 19% |
| Gardening Services | 19% |
| Car Cleaned | 19% |
| Cooking Lessons | 16% |
The Top 10 Most Popular ‘Functional’ Christmas Gifts to Give
While it’s clear what Brits are hoping to receive this Christmas, will they be giving the same gifts? While a Holiday (14%) and Haircuts (12%) took first and second place again as the most popular ‘functional’ gifts to give this Christmas. Brits voted Driving lessons as the third most popular ‘functional’ gift to give this year (11%).
| 'Functional/Useful' Gift To Give | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A Holiday | 14% |
| Haircut | 12% |
| Driving Lessons | 11% |
| Gym Membership | 6% |
| Cooking Lessons | 6% |
| Car Servicing | 5% |
| Cleaning Service | 5% |
| Gardening Services | 5% |
| Painter/Decorator | 4% |
| Meditation Sessions | 4% |
Spending Trends Over Christmas
According to the Office for National Statistics, 47% of consumers are cutting down on discretionary spending to help afford necessities such as energy bills throughout the autumn and winter months. New clothes and accessories are the most common items that consumers are cutting back on.
According to those surveyed, 37% are spending less because of the cost of living crisis. Meanwhile, 28% of those who are still willing to spend, said they want to give gifts that make a difference, and 27% said they want to save their money for more important things other than Christmas gifts.
The Cost of Gifting
Sales and purchases for physical products may be down in comparison to 2022, and financial and economic factors have changed the way we spend. But the Brits who are willing to spend more money are choosing to do so on more useful and functional gifts this year such as driving lessons and holidays rather than on a more traditional product-based or token gift.
The survey revealed that Brits are likely to spend slightly more on a useful gift, with the average spend being £96.41. In contrast to this when asked how much they would spend on a traditional gift, this dropped by just over £13 to an average of £83.10.
Regional Differences
Receiving
London was revealed to be the region that most want to receive a functional and useful gift (42%) over a traditional one this Christmas. A holiday (44%), a haircut (31%) and a gym membership (28%) were the top 3 most wanted functional gifts to receive this Christmas.
Scotland and Wales were revealed to be the regions that would most like to receive a more traditional gift this Christmas with 32% of those surveyed preferring one over a functional gift.
When it comes to the most wanted functional gifts in the UK, residents in the West Midlands are more likely to want a gym membership (40%) over the rest of the UK. Londoners are most likely to want sports lessons (16%) and Northern Ireland residents are most likely to want their chimney swept (21%).
Giving
Londoners (17%) are the most likely to give a functional gift over a traditional one this year. Interestingly, the most popular functional gifts Londoners are likely to give are car-related, seeing driving lessons (23%), car cleaning (17%) and car servicing (16%) being the top 3 most popular, the highest compared to all other UK regions.
Northern Ireland was the most likely to give a traditional gift this year over a more useful one with 11% (the highest of all UK regions) saying they are very unlikely to give any kind of functional gift this Christmas.
The survey revealed that Londoners are most likely to spend the most on a functional gift, at an average of £124.57 per gift. The East Midlands are likely to spend the least amount of money on a functional gift with an average spend of £85.72 per person with one in three willing to only spend between £11-£50 per gift.
The Perfect Christmas Gift
Gifting may have changed in the sense that more Brits are looking to both give and receive a more functional gift over a traditional one this year, but the premise behind “giving the perfect gift for Christmas” has not. Whether it is gifting something to assist a loved one around the house, or even paying for a new , the list is endless and there is no limit as to what to pick when choosing the perfect Christmas gifts this year.
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