Even though half of Hungarians are stressed about Christmas gifts, we don’t compromise on quality

According to the research, 25.95% of shoppers enjoy Christmas gift shopping, 24.8% are stressed, and 21.17% are particularly nervous about it, while 28.07% are indifferent to the process. Interestingly, as we grow older, the pleasure of gift shopping seems to wane: while nearly 44% of those between 18 and 24 years old are looking for surprises with joy, nearly 60% of those between 25 and 34 years old are stressed or nervous about it. Incidentally, the proportions themselves have no connection with monthly income: even if someone earns more than 1 million HUF, they are more stressed than someone whose salary falls between 250 thousand and 400 thousand.

The majority are cautious when it comes to spending: 56.43% plan to spend a similar amount as last year, 31.03% would rather save, and only 12.54% expect to spend more. This is not surprising considering the economic conditions, especially since popular products at this time, such as household appliances and electronic devices, are becoming more expensive every year. Age already influences the decision, as those aged 25-34 would spend the most (nearly 37%), while the younger and older generations would also rather aim for last year’s values. This may be related to the earning capacity of the given generation: they already have a higher income, but they do not yet have to think about family, loans or other expenses. Interesting numbers were also revealed in terms of monthly income, as the highest proportion (41.72%) would spend more this year if they earned 250 thousand HUF or less; a higher percentage would do so than those who receive 1.25 million HUF per month (36.63%).

More than half of the buyers (52.73%) cover gifts from their monthly salary, 24.71% use savings, and only 2.59% turn to loans. The spending limits range widely: most people spend between 16,000 and 50,000 forints on holiday gifts (24.63%), but nearly every tenth respondent (8.95%) spends over 160,000 forints. This category is dominated by people aged 35 to 44, nearly 61% of whom would finance Christmas surprises from their monthly salary. The proportions are almost the same by age group, with a few interesting facts. Nearly a third of those under 18 buy their gifts differently and a quarter have not even thought about it, while savings are somewhat more popular among those aged 18 and 24 and over 65, by nearly 35%. In terms of monthly income, as income increases up to 900 thousand forints, the proportion of those who use their monthly salary to buy gifts also increases, and then it starts to decrease. Among those earning 1.25 million or more, the choice of monthly payment, savings or no payment option is almost equally divided.

The most important factor in the decision remains quality (41.31%), far ahead of price (25.73%) and product rating (6.29%): for understandable reasons, only those under 18 were price-dominated for nearly half of respondents. Among the biggest difficulties of Christmas shopping, “thinking of unique gifts” comes first (28.63%). Many complain about high prices (25.52%), long lines (12.12%) and stress due to deadlines (10.11%). Delivery problems or stock shortages affect customers to a much lesser extent, but still a significant proportion. These are all problems that Árukereső.hu can provide a solution to: with the easy-to-use search engine, you can browse through numerous options, you can easily find the best prices, and you don’t have to stand in line to shop online. Moreover, if you start your research in time, the deadline shouldn’t be a serious problem either.

“Christmas gift shopping is an emotional roller coaster: we love to give at the same time, while decisions and expenses burden many. Our research shows that Hungarian buyers are becoming more and more aware, as they look for quality, plan ahead, and try to avoid unnecessary stress. Their goal is for the holiday to truly be about joy. And Árukereső.hu is a reliable partner in this this year as well”

– said András Szták, Managing Director of Árukereső.hu.