{"id":3036,"date":"2019-12-10T10:32:33","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T10:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rajapack.co.uk\/blog-uk\/?p=3036"},"modified":"2021-12-01T13:34:45","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T13:34:45","slug":"gifting-brits-gift-giving-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rajapack.co.uk\/blog-uk\/gifting-brits-gift-giving-habits","title":{"rendered":"Gifting Etiquette: Exploring Brits’ Gift-Giving Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gifts. What\u2019s not to love, right? From birthdays and anniversaries to holidays and baby arrivals, we\u2019ll find any excuse to slip a gift into a special occasion. It\u2019s a tradition that has shone for so long, because while gifts may be material, their overarching message is one of love. Yet, in the age of the conscious consumer, do we still care about traditional gifts?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We surveyed 2,000 Brits to find out more about their gifting etiquette.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you someone that loves a special occasion, partly for the purpose of giving and\/or receiving gifts? Or, are you someone that would be happy to see this tradition go?<\/p>\n

For some, it\u2019s the holy grail of special occasions. Picking out presents and choosing pretty gift boxes<\/a>, complemented by cards that perfectly represent your nearest and dearest (perhaps with an in-joke or two!?). And of course, on the other side \u2013 being the recipient of said gifts.<\/p>\n

For others however, these gifts are overrated. Perhaps you\u2019d rather be surrounded by loved ones; lead a \u2018greener\u2019 lifestyle with less consumption; or make memories through experiences, rather than give or receive material things.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your stance? It\u2019s time to find out where we stand as a nation on \u2018gift-iquette\u2019 in Britain.<\/p>\n

What gifts do we want as a nation?<\/h2>\n

\"Receiving<\/h2>\n

We asked Brits what types of gifts they most wanted to receive on a special occasion.<\/p>\n

Turns out, cold hard cash was the gift recipients wanted to receive most. Over a quarter of Brits (26%) chose money over anything else. In expensive times with more costs to cover than ever before, are financial pressures causing us to pick the practical choice? Though this was a top pick to receive, it\u2019s often an unpopular one to give \u2013 namely because deciding on an amount can be a delicate subject.<\/p>\n

Lucky for gift-givers, then, that 74% (almost three quarters) of votes went towards \u2018traditional\u2019 gifts, with clothing, technology and beauty products the most popular choices. This means there\u2019s a whole lot of people that still appreciate something picked specially for them, and presumably the act of opening something on their special day. If you\u2019re struggling for<\/p>\n

something to buy, take note: out of the above, women preferred to receive clothes (21%) and beauty products (12%), while men preferred to receive technology (23%) and clothes (19%).<\/p>\n

We hear a lot of talk about the \u2018experiential generation\u2019 but not even 2 in 10 people chose an experiential gift. This could include the likes of a dinner date, a concert ticket or a flying lesson. Finally, only 5% of people chose a gift that goes towards a charitable cause \u2013 which, could be anything from donating to a charity on your behalf to sponsoring an endangered animal in your name. Only 13% of Brits wanted\u00a0nothing at all.<\/p>\n

The act of giving and receiving a \u2018tangible\u2019 gift still matters<\/h2>\n

Not only did we clarify that Brits still love a gift, but their gift preferences are still geared towards tangible items, too. Of those that had a preference, we found that 64% of Brits would prefer to receive a physical gift, versus only 17% of those that would opt for something digital.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, 43% of Gen Z-ers and Millennials had no preference between a physical or a digital gift, showing they\u2019re not so tied into traditions as the older generation. So, unsurprisingly, 9 in 10 Brits that are 45+ year-old said that they would actively prefer a physical gift over that of a digital one.<\/p>\n

When it comes to \u2018gift-iquette\u2019, we also found that over a third (36%) of gift givers said they\u2019d possibly feel guilty about not giving a tangible gift \u2013 but why?<\/p>\n

\"Gift-giving\"<\/h2>\n

When we asked those that said they would feel this way, over half (53%) said it was because they viewed tangible gifts as more thoughtful and personal. This was followed by 37% who stated, \u201cit\u2019s important that the recipient has something tangible to unwrap\u201d, and 28% who said they just do, \u201cbecause it\u2019s proper social etiquette\u201d. Of course, almost 2 in 10 (18%) said they had to return the gesture when someone has gifted them something tangible, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is a greener way of life changing our \u2018gift-iquette\u2019?<\/h2>\n

Almost 2 in 10 Brits said that they have considered the environmental impact of gifts prior to purchase and have chosen not to buy a gift because of this.<\/p>\n

For most however, the perfect gift takes priority: almost half (47%) say that whether they\u2019ve considered the environmental impact or not, this would not deter them from their chosen gifts for a friend, family member or other. This could include anything from a single-serving product to something with excess packaging, or anything that requires batteries that could corrode in our landfills.<\/p>\n

This means that when it comes to the gifting process, 30% of us never think about the fact that our gift might be unwanted or wasted. Additionally, we never think about the environmental impact of making and sending greeting cards (38%), wrapping paper (32%) and product packaging (28%).<\/p>\n

How to gift sustainably<\/h2>\n

\"Sustainable<\/p>\n

For those that want to follow traditional \u2018gift-iquette\u2019 while still taking steps towards a greener world \u2013 here are some handy tips to reduce your carbon footprint, without giving up the joy of gift-giving!<\/p>\n