Partners the hardest to buy for at Christmas, survey says

Media release
20 December 2016

Partners the hardest to buy for at Christmas, survey says

The typical Kiwi Christmas shopper finds their partner the hardest to buy for, gets their shopping done early and buys up to half of their gifts online, a recent survey by Trade Me has revealed.

Trade Me’s Jeff Hunkin said the research uncovered “a treasure trove of insight” into the mentality of Kiwi shoppers in the lead-up to Christmas. “The results from our survey of over 600 New Zealanders both confirmed some assumptions around shopper behaviour in the festive season, and changed others.

“For instance, almost half of us beat the jostling mall crowds and get our shopping done early, while 34 per cent admitted to leaving things to the last minute. Something that wasn’t so surprising is that one in two people agree that gift-buying is a stressful experience.”

When wandering the digital or in-store aisles, Mr Hunkin said shoppers found it hardest to buy for their partner (31%), kids (20%), or parents (14%). “Extended family, siblings and friends on the other hand are much easier to buy for – we suspect less effort is required to select novelty underwear or a desktop foosball set for those further down the gift hierarchy.”

Vouchers are OK

While 61 per cent of Kiwis said they ‘put a lot effort’ into gift-buying, Mr Hunkin said the effort was not necessarily appreciated. “We expected there to be a stigma associated with giving vouchers in lieu of a thoughtful gift, but 50 per cent of people say they’d feel fine about receiving the lazy option. It’s good news for last minute shoppers – there’s a decent chance the gift card from the petrol station on Christmas Eve will go down a treat.”

Mr Hunkin said 62 per cent of people bought up to half of their gifts online and there were some hot new items on the radar this year. “We’ve seen searches for Hatchimals skyrocket on Trade Me in the lead-up to Christmas, along with the risqué Cards Against Humanity game.”

Other top selling items on Trade Me included Funko Pop figurines, Bluetooth headphones, and ever-popular Lego sets.

The good & the bad

The survey also asked shoppers which Christmas gifts had lived up to expectations and what had been wide of the mark.

Mr Hunkin said jewellery, clothing, electronic items, handmade gifts from children and family members coming home for the holidays were all cited as Christmas highlights. “On the other hand, gifts that inspired awkward silence on Christmas morning included a self-help book, a horrendous Christmas cake which ended up being buried by the family dog, and a g-string from Nana. No doubt we’ll see some unusual items like these listed on Trade Me on Boxing Day.”

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Other interesting tidbits:

· 77% of people think buying online is convenient
· 58% of people think buying in-store is time consuming
· 80% of people get a buzz out of finding “the perfect gift”
· 41% of people receive between 4-6 Christmas gifts, 16% receive 7+
· When asked who they find it hardest to buy for:
· 31% say their partner
· 20% say their kids
· 14% parents
· 10% extended family
· 6% siblings
· 6% friends
· 13% “other”, including pets

Top 10 Trade Me Christmas searches (November/December 2016):

1. Hatchimals
2. iPhones & iPads
3. Lego
4. Mountain bikes
5. Surfboard
6. Puppies
7. Pokémon
8. PlayStation 4
9. BBQ
10. Kayaks

Media release: Kiwis’ reaction to unwanted gifts
We’ll be sending out some information on Boxing Day including answers from this survey around attitudes to unwanted gifts, what we saw this time last year, and what we expect to see in 2016.

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