Due to rising prices for energy and food, for example, the presents could be smaller for many this year. More than one in three (38 percent) plan to spend less money on Christmas gifts this year. This is the conclusion of a survey conducted by consultancy firm Deloitte among 500 consumers.
Some people need to tighten their belts, not only when it comes to gifts, but also around the festival. 34 percent of those surveyed plan to spend less money during the Christmas holidays than last year.
There are several reasons for this: in addition to the high inflation (56 percent), rising energy prices (48 percent), but also the change in the family’s financial situation (23 percent) and personal income (21 percent) influence Christmas spending. Austrians Austrians.
Few spend any money at all
After all, half of the respondents (51 percent) still do not cut back on the Christmas budget. Only a small proportion (7 percent) do not intend to spend money on Christmas gifts at all. Most (52 percent) have set a gift budget between 100 and 350 euros this year. Gift cards (33 percent), toys (30 percent), joint activities (28 percent), and cash (25 percent) end up under the Christmas tree.
More than half of those surveyed buy Christmas gifts in traditional stores, almost a third use purely online retailers such as Amazon or Zalando to buy gifts, and more than one in ten use online stores from brick-and-mortar retailers. Few (9 percent) think about gifts until the last minute, many are already looking for gifts as early as November (39 percent) or at least early to mid-December (32 percent).
Even Christmas holidays on a low ebb
“Home for Christmas” is not only a saying in carols, but also for the majority of those surveyed who are likely to stay home during the holiday season. Only 19 percent have already booked or planned a Christmas holiday.
32 percent want to cut back on travel, mainly because of general price increases, 20 percent say that the increased prices in winter tourism also speak against a Christmas holiday and 25 percent of those surveyed do not make any travel plans because of their personal financial situation.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
