Irish consumers want to buy Irish for their Christmas gifts this year, however, the festive budget is down by €70 per shopper from last year.
A new report commissioned by Sligo-based digital company Dmac Media, examined the Christmas shopping habits of 1,000 Irish consumers. It revealed that an average of 58pc of Irish adults are planning on gift shopping with Irish retailers this year.
Around 39pc of all adults anticipate spending 70 to 100pc of their Christmas gift shopping with Irish retailers.
“Whether the cause is climate change, community pride or Brexit fears, people are spending their money domestically because they know it means far more to homegrown retailers and ultimately their community”
Some 37pc of Irish men and 42pc of Irish women will spend most of their Christmas budget with Irish retailers. Half (49pc) of all adults surveyed said they do not plan to buy from Amazon this Christmas season.
Irish shoppers are more mindful
“The lockdown brought us closer together as a people,” said Dave McEvoy, director of Dmac Media. “We are even more aware of how our actions impact those around us. Whether the cause is climate change, community pride or Brexit fears, people are spending their money domestically because they know it means far more to homegrown retailers and ultimately their community.
“The result of our survey offers hope to local independent retailers online. Your customers are not all about Amazon. My advice for Irish retailers is to invest time and budget in awareness and shopping campaigns and keep getting the message out that you are open, in-store and online.”
Advice for Irish retailers
Across all adults surveyed, nearly half (47pc) think the user experience and functionality of Irish gift websites is good or very good. 40pc think it is only okay. 20pc of all adults admit to being influenced by online advertising when buying gifts for friends and family at Christmas, and 20pc agree they are influenced by social media advertising.
“A smaller spend is going to increase the competition for the gift market. The retailers that are active in digital marketing are going to win more hearts and minds and get a greater share of the reduced spend for Christmas gifts this year.”
The average amount people anticipate spending on Christmas gifts for family and friends this year is €470. A significant decrease from the average spend of €541 for Christmas 2020.
This figure is highest among females, spending on average €480 compared to male counterparts who plan on spending an average of €451.12pc are big spenders, intending on splashing out over €900 on festive gifts in 2021. The majority (39pc) of respondents plan on spending between €200 and €500 on Christmas gifts for family and friends this year.
