As cost-of-living pressures continue, 75 per cent of Aussies say they’re planning to spend less this Christmas, up from 40 per cent last year, new research from PayPal reveals.
Almost half of Australians says you can still have a great holiday season if you spend wisely, leverage the online sales and shop sensibly. Indeed, 38 per cent of Australians say they will shop online during sales periods.
In fact, this year, most gifts will be purchased digitally with four in five Australians (81 per cent) buying gifts online and 62 per cent of Australians saying they will buy at least half their gifts online.
This reflects that half of Aussies (47 per cent) say the worst thing about Christmas is the overcrowded stores as Australians shop the sales online to have a faster and easier shopping experience (42 per cent) and get better deals and prices (40 per cent).
Additionally, 60 per cent say gifts don’t have to cost a lot to be meaningful while 39 per cent will be spending less on gifts this Christmas.
Others say they will spend less on decorations and lights (also 39 per cent), alcohol and drinks (35 per cent) or travel and fuel (34 per cent). A quarter of Australians (25 per cent) say they’re not cutting back their spending at all this year.
So, what are the most wanted gifts in Australia this year?
1 Gift cards (52 per cent)
2 Food and beverage including alcohol (33 per cent)
3 Experiences such as spa treatments, sky diving, dining, etc (31 per cent)
4 Makeup, fragrances or skin care (31 per cent)
5 Books (27 per cent)
6 Jewellery, clothes or accessories (25 per cent)
7 Hand crafted or homemade gifts (24 per cent)
8 Gardening related gifts (22 per cent)
9 Travel/accommodation (23 per cent)
10 Homewares including appliances (21 per cent)
And not to forget scented candles or diffusers (19 per cent) and noting that one in eight Aussies (13 per cent) say they’d like to receive a sustainable or eco-friendly gift.
