Brits’ Christmas: more deals, fewer gifts

As brands seek to put the merry back into Christmas with their advertising, consumers are trimming costs across the board, according to new research. 

Market research company Zappi surveyed 4,000 consumers across the UK and US and found that over half (55%) of Brits believe their Christmas will be affected by the need to tighten purse strings.

Why Christmas budgets matters

While people will have a more cautious approach to spending, the majority (60%) are still excited by the holiday period. Brands will need to tap into that pragmatic approach across their marketing, pricing and product offerings.

Shopping intentions 

• Nearly half (46%) say they are planning to spend less on gifts this year than last year, while just 10% plan to spend more on gifts. 
• Consumers plan to prioritize deals and promotions (38%), shop more at discount stores (33%) and begin shopping earlier than in previous years (21%) to cope with rising costs.
• Over a third of households admit they are aiming to cut food costs (38%), spread their food shopping over a few weeks to ease costs (37%) and shop around multiple retailers for the best food prices (40%). 

Advertising reactions 

• Brits say they prefer Christmas ads that show acts of kindness (47%), family and friend togetherness (45%) and tradition and festivity (44%). 
• Three in ten (31%) say early November is the best time to release Christmas ads (32% also say they start their holiday shopping in early November) . 
• Comparatively, 58% of Brits think brands release holiday products in stores too soon and 47% think brands begin talking about the holidays too soon. 

Sourced from Zappi