Half of UK anticipating stressful Christmas shopping amid cost-of-living crisis
53% of Brits believe it will be a stressful Christmas this year due to the cost-of-living crisis, while a further 37% believe it will be stressful due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This is according to a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by the IPA.
The IPA expects shoppers will tighten their belts due to inflation
The insight report ‘Christmas amid the Crunch’ also found that 48% of those surveyed intend to have their Christmas shopping done before Black Friday, and a further 48% expect to spend none of their Christmas budget during the sales this year.
A recent study by Havas Media group also warned UK brands that they must adapt marketing communications to take into account the cost-of-living crisis if they are to remain relevant to consumers in a new era of high inflation.
What are the key findings of the IPA survey?
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Almost a quarter (23%) of adults are planning on gifting cash, with a further 46% considering it as a gift-giving option this year
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40% of Brits plan to be more sustainable this Christmas, up from 36% in 2021
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11% of adults are planning to give a zero-waste gift, with 39% considering the option
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34% of people are considering gifting a charity donation, with 11% already planning to do so
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More than half of 18-24-year-olds would be pleased to ‘unwrap’ an NFT (51%) or cryptocurrency (55%) this Christmas
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38% of adults believe that the World Cup will dominate the Christmas build-up this year, while the same percentage (38%) also agree that the timing will prove to be an inconvenience.
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36% of Londoners believe that the World Cup will give them inspiration for buying Christmas gifts
Damian Lord, head of insight at IPA, said: “With a winter World Cup, the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Christmas 2022 is going to be like no other. There’s an understandable belt-tightening across the board, but people are still looking for interesting and imaginative gifts and ways to spread goodwill with their loved ones.
“Christmas amid the Crunch shows that there are plenty of opportunities for advertisers to make a splash with consumers, and will help brands and agencies capture the mood of the nation in the build-up to Christmas.”