- Gift budgets up by $80 (21%), food and drink budgets up by $100 (33%)
- Almost half of Australians are seeking Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals
- 60% of Australians are feeling emotionally positive about the festive period
SYDNEY, 21 October 2024: New research conducted by global data and insights company, Pureprofile Limited (ASX: PPL), reveals Australians are budgeting $80 more for Christmas gifts this year and $100 more for food and drink during the festive season.
Total gift budgets for 2024 averaged $468 (up from $388 in 2023), with food and drink budgets sitting at $406 (up from $306 in 2023).
Now in its sixth year, Pureprofile’s 2024 Christmas Report is a global report based on the insights of over 4,300 panel members from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA and Singapore.
Despite higher spending intentions, many Australians will still be on the lookout for bargains, with 67% looking to save on Christmas expenses this year. Almost half of Australians (45%) also expect to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Other money-saving tactics include buying fewer presents (41%) and cheaper food alternatives (27%).
There is high positivity towards the festive season in Australia, with 60% feeling emotionally positive as inflationary pressure eases. This is a marked increase from previous years (54% in 2023, 57% in 2022 and 56% in 2021).
Martin Filz, CEO of Pureprofile, said, “This is the first time in five years that we’ve seen a loosening of the Australian purse strings and a noticeable uplift in holiday spirit. This shift is remarkable and suggests we may be emerging from the long shadow of cost-of-living concerns. However, a cautious sentiment persists, with shoppers actively seeking savings and bargains. Retailers should take note that Australians are inclined to shop in-store, making it essential to offer more substantial in-store discounts to drive foot traffic.
“Interestingly, despite the prevalence of AI, only 7% of Australians plan to use it for holiday planning this year. It seems that some aspects of Christmas cheer remain untouched by technology, proving that perhaps not everything can be enhanced by ChatGPT — except maybe tackling that endless list of Christmas cards!”
Gifting gets practical
Money and gift cards dominated the list of gifts people wished for across all countries, except the UK where there was a stronger desire to receive clothes, shoes and food.
For Australians, practical gifts that may help relieve the household budget were prioritised with gift cards (46% vs 44% in 2023) and money (41% vs 36% in 2023) topping the wishlist. Other desired gifts include clothes or shoes (33% vs 28% in 2023), food or drinks (30% vs 27% in 2023) and skincare and cosmetics (28% vs 22% in 2023).
Festive preparations
Globally, most people intend to shop between November and early December. Those in the UK are more likely than other countries to start shopping in September or October. Over two-thirds (70%) of Aussie shoppers plan to start in November or earlier (up from 67% in 2023), while few (9%) plan to leave it until the middle of December.
Aussies are also embracing the in-store experience this year (59%), but a large portion still prefer online shopping (41%), with very few (7%) using AI to help them with Christmas plans or gifts.
Most Australians are price-conscious this year (80%), ranking it higher than quality (68%) with regard to Christmas purchasing decisions. Factors such as brand reputation (26%) and recommendations or reviews (20%) also had less impact. Shoppers reported that retailers offering a promotion with a percentage off (50%) held significantly more appeal than free shipping (17%) or buy one get one free offers (12%).
All work and no sleigh
One in five working Australians (20%) anticipate rising costs will shrink their year’s workplace Christmas party. Around half of working Australians expect their company Christmas party to be similar to last year, but one in four (25%) do not expect to be treated to a workplace celebration at all.
Most working Australians (73%) are looking forward to their workplaces closing over the Christmas period and enjoying their hard-earned leave. However one in ten (9%) do not appreciate being compelled to take their annual leave at Christmas, possibly because of limited and expensive travel choices over the peak period.
Time for turkey and travel
Globally, there is a consensus that the ideal Christmas is one spent enjoying a meal with family, preferably at home. Those in Australia (55%) and New Zealand (55%) are most likely to agree with this sentiment. Those in Singapore (16%) and America (14%) were the most likely to prefer to spend the day alone.
Other popular Australian Christmas choices were a wilderness cabin in the snow (12%), a hot day at the beach (11%) or celebrations at a fancy restaurant (11%).
Australians are looking to travel again for Christmas 2024, with 41% expecting to travel this year. However, only 8% plan to travel internationally.
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About Pureprofile
Pureprofile’s vision is to deliver more value from the world’s information.
We are a global data and insights organisation providing industry-leading online research solutions to agencies, marketers, researchers and brands & businesses.
Our research delivers rich insights into real human behaviour and provides the “Why” behind the “What” through our unique ResTech and SaaS solutions. We build in-depth profiles of consumers via our proprietary and partner panels and give businesses the ability to understand, target, and ultimately engage with their audiences.
The Company, founded in 2000 and based in Surry Hills, Australia, now operates in North America, Europe and APAC and has delivered solutions for over 850 clients.
Media contact:
Beroze Dubash for Pureprofile
beroze@kickercomms.com
+61 403 402 228
