If you are full of Christmas Spirit this year, then chances are you are one of many who are turning their hand to making a gift this season. And you won’t be alone.
In a new survey by Blurb, 38 per cent of shoppers were planning on giving handmade gifts this year from chutney and fudge to photo books and knitted jumpers.
Apparently in times of economic hardship, savvy shoppers are looking for ultra personal gifts which will be cherished forever rather than expensive branded versions that may not be all they’re cracked up to be and it seems we’re not just stopping with gifts.
Hobbycraft has reported a 200 per cent increase in sales of material to make decorations and 150 per cent increase for Christmas cards, while sales of handmade crackers are set to soar in the last remaining days.
Another big trend affecting gift ideas is the success of programmes such as The Great British Bake Off with a new report from Verdict Research and SAS – How Britain Will Shop For Christmas – highlighting sharp rises in baking ingredients. Waitrose has cottoned onto the make-it-yourself trend and even reserved a section in their Christmas guide on how to make foodie gifts (their homemade fruit and nut chocolate drops actually look too good to give).
So where does this leave the established retailers if we’re all out buying wool, felt and double-sided sticky tape? The answer is in the rise of the tablet. A major gift trend, it’s easy for grandparents and parents to use, while some of the top toys are specifically designed as tablets for kids this year such as VTech’s InnoTab 2 which at £85 is slightly less painful than buying them an iPad mini.
But it seems our pets are going to win out the most. Last year Verdict and SAS found that 15.8 per cent of us bought gifts for our four legged friends – ahead of grandparents (14.3 per cent) and colleagues (10.2 per cent).
I for one prefer the handmade touch. The personalised family calendars are all ordered and the chocolate drops as a little something for the neighbours are all wrapped in shiny cellophane and red ribbon. And if I knew how to knit – which I sadly don’t – mum would be getting a very nice sweater ala The Killing’s Sarah Lund instead of having to fork out 280 Euros for the real thing by Faroese designers Gudrun & Gudrun.
You can read more about Ipsos Retail Performance’s take on the changing psyche of the shopper here .
Further reading
*How Britain will Shop For Christmas
http://www.sas.com/reg/gen/uk/christmas-shopping
*Sarah Lund knitting patterns
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-11-18/the-killing-knit-your-own-sarah-lund-jumper
*Blurb survey of 10,000 shoppers
www.femalefirst.co.uk/parenting/news+on+parenting-270194.html
IPSOS Retail Performance 