Thread: Survey: TOP 10 Christmas Gifts

What Christmas Gift would you like most?

Top 10.................................. 2012......2011
Cash.............................................. ..46%..........43%
Books............................................. ..41%..........51%
Travel............................................ ...26%..........22%
CDs............................................... ...26%..........26%
Cosmetics/Perfume..............................24%.......... 26%
Vouchers.......................................... .24%..........36%
Jewellery/Watches...............................23%......... .23%
Smartphone........................................ 23%..........15%
Cosmetical/Spa Treatment/Massage........22%..........21%
Laptop-PC/Computer............................22%..........1 9%
Source: Deloitte & Touche GmbH


consumer survey: consumers focus even more on prices

The 2012 Xmas survey is Deloitte’s 15th annual look at what European consumers will be buying for the year-end holidays.

Average year-end holiday spending in Belgium will be 559 Euro, a small increase (2.7%) in line with inflation, compared to last year’s actual spending during the year-end period. Consumers are showing significantly more price sensitivity and will accordingly be seeking more information before purchasing, particularly on the Internet, and will combine retail channels to find the best gift at the best price. Many consumers will continue to prefer useful and educational gifts this year. The Belgian results of the Deloitte Christmas study will be announced on November 22.

The 2012 survey covers 18 European countries. A representative sample of consumers (18,587 in all) was surveyed during the second and third weeks of September to see how consumers intend to spend on gifts, food and beverages for holiday meals, and entertainment.

With the outlook for the economy still uncertain, European consumers are still pessimistic overall. Europe’s debt crisis continues and the various steps that European governments have taken to reduce public deficits continue to weigh on consumer morale. Almost half of Europeans (49%) believe that the economy will be in recession in 2013. Pessimism is gaining ground in Poland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Spain and Slovakia.

Consumers feel that their purchasing power is declining. This is observed in Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, France and Poland, and is particularly marked in Spain (where 53% of respondents say they have less money to spend vs. 38% in 2011), in Portugal (68% vs. 62% in 2011) and in Greece and Italy, where respectively 80% and 60% of respondents say they have less to spend.

Europeans are also concerned about their purchasing power in 2013, with 34% expecting it to decline and only 19% believing it will strengthen.
As Koen De Staercke, Deloitte’s Partner in charge of the Retail & Consumer Goods business explains: “Given this apprehension of the future, consumers are weighing their purchase decisions more carefully and are becoming more price-sensitive. Although there is still a strong desire to enjoy Xmas festivities, consumers are being careful about how they spend their money.”

In 2012, Belgian consumers plan to spend an average of €559 on holiday spending, an increase of 2.7% over last year’s actual spending.

Gift purchase decisions focus mainly on utility and price

Most Europeans would prefer to receive gifts of cash and books and will receive books, cosmetics or gift vouchers – books remain the gift that is given most frequently bought. Although trips, computers and smartphones are among the Top-10 gifts that Europeans want most, they are not in the Top 10 of gifts actually offered. This gap has widened most notably for tablet computers and smartphones, which consumers wish to receive 5 to 6 times more than they will actually be offered, compared to a ratio of 2 in 2011.

This trend is confirmed by 64% of European consumers who say that learning and educational content is their main consideration when purchasing a toy, board game, puzzle or book for a child. As was the case last year, the most popular gifts for teenagers are video games, cash and books. Gift vouchers are still very popular, after several years of steady growth.

Although gift vouchers are among the Top 10 gifts offered, European consumers observe that they are not always very practical and point out that they sometimes forget to use them or that vouchers do not enable them to choose what they want. However, the shortness of the validity period is mentioned less frequently.

The essential role of price

Consumer purchasing behaviour has chang ed considerably since 2008 and the priority now is clearly toward finding a useful gift at the best possible price. This trend has been reconfirmed in 2012, with price even more important.

Although 87% of European consumers feel that a gift’s utility is very important, price has become essential for 92%.

For example:
84% of Europeans will be looking for products on sale, compared to only 65% in 2011. 77% will also tend to prefer less expensive gifts (vs. 57% last year) and 78% will naturally tend to shop in stores they perceive as being less expensive.
More consumers will be tempted by sales promotions in Ireland (44%), France (35%), Spain (36%), Portugal (46%), Greece (63%), Belgium (33%) and the Netherlands (41%).

Demand for less expensive gifts will be particularly strong in Greece (57%), Spain and Ireland (30%), and the Netherlands (33%).
77% of Europeans say they will preferably purchase priv ate-label and discount products, vs. 55% last year. This trend is widespread in the countries surveyed.
A decline in some savings strategies can be observed this year, with 18% of Europeans more inclined to offer fewer gifts (vs. 21% in 2011), 14% planning to make more group purchases (vs. 16% last year) and 8% buying more second-hand products.

More spending trade-off decisions

As was the case in 2011, to preserve their Xmas budget European consumers will be spending less on leisure and entertainment (33% of respondents), holidays (29%) and clothing (33%). This shift in spending will tend to vary in intensity and nature between countries, with:

Europeans say they are willing to spend less on two new budget items in 2013: multimedia (Internet, cable TV, telecoms, etc.) and everyday purchases (lunch, transportation, magazines, etc.)

This trend is particularly strong in Ireland, Portu gal, Spain, Italy and Greece, where over 70% of consumers say they in tend to spend less on these items.
Although Italian consumers are not yet changing their spending habits significantly, they plan to make broader spending cuts in 2013, thus joining Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece, which have already started to save more.
Belgian consumers indicate to make budget cuts in primarily multimedia, clothing and entertainment.

The cross-channel trend continues

Over 40% of European consumers use both the Internet and physical stores to find and compare products. 33% will actually purchase gifts over the Internet. Most consumers therefore continue to buy in brick-and-mortar stores.

What consumers like about the “cross-channel experience” in particular is that they can use the respective advantages of e-commerce and physical stores to optimise their purchasing:

On the Internet they find information that is not available in stores, such a s consumer reviews and opinions, they can shop whenever they want, and compare products and prices. It should be noted that among the Top-5 advantages of online shopping cited this year are the low prices available, which once again reflects the importance of finding the best possible price.

The main advantages of physical stores continue to be the possibility of exchanging products, followed by after-sales service and payment security, which once again moved up the list. The advice provided by sales staff and the pleasure of in-store shopping were also mentioned.

To find and compare products online, consumers use retailer websites, search engines and manufacturer websites, in that order of preference. Koen De Staercke indicates: “What consumers like about the “cross-channel experience” in particular is that they can use the respective advantages of e-commerce and physical stores to optimise their purchasing. Implementing a true cross-channel strategy bui lt on an integrated customer relationship will therefore give retaile rs a decisive competitive advantage.”

http://www.jewelryne.ws/european-results-deloitte-year-end-consumer-survey-consumers-focus-even-more-on-prices-2/

what is bj?

errrr... i got it... was because it was used TOTALLY out of context...