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Self-Gifting More Popular Among Gen Z, With Most Shoppers Buying for Children and Favoring Apparel and Gift Cards
Most holiday shoppers, 54%, say they will be buying gifts for between two to five people this year. Another 30% will be shopping for six to ten people, while 9% will be shopping for more than that.
Which of the following types of people will you be buying holiday gifts for this year? Select all that apply.
Among all respondents, children were the most common group to shop for, but that was not the case among Gen Z. Instead, friends were the top group Gen Z will buy holiday gifts for, with 66% saying they had plans to do so. Among baby boomers, just 33% plan to buy holiday gifts for friends.
Share of each generation that plans on buying a holiday gift for themselves this year.
Gen Z was also more likely than older generations to say they would be self-gifting this year. While 25% of all respondents said they would buy holiday gifts for themselves this year, that rate was 39% among Gen Z. The self-gifting rate for baby boomers was a little less than half that for Gen Z.
When asked which types of gifts they expect to purchase this holiday season, 60% of shoppers selected apparel and accessories, the top response. This was followed closely by gifts cards at 58%.
Which product categories do you expect to purchase as gifts this holiday season? Select all that apply. (Top eight overall responses)
Apparel and gift cards were the only two product categories that a majority of baby boomers and Gen X planned to purchase from, while millennials and Gen Z plan to shop across a wider swath of product categories. A majority of Gen Z plans to buy products in seven of the thirteen product categories they were asked about.
The least popular categories for holiday gifts were automotive, sporting goods, and health and wellness products. Across these categories, though, health and wellness products fared better among Gen Z than older generations.
The widest gap in intent to purchase between Gen Z and baby boomers was for beauty products, which 55% of Gen Z shoppers expect to purchase, compared to just 14% of baby boomers. Gen Z is also much more inclined to purchase jewelry than baby boomers, as well as books, video games, and other media.