Online study maps Xmas spending

An online survey has shown that South Africans are not shy to shop, but will focus more on quality gifts for a select few loved ones this year.

eBucks' Online Festive Survey, in which 1 937 South Africans took part over a period of about two weeks, revealed that 32% of respondents planned on spending between R250 and R500 on each gift they buy, and 29% planned on spending between R500 and R1 000 per gift.

Conducted by First National Bank (FNB) and RMB Private Bank's reward programme, eBucks, the survey was the first of its kind, and looked at South Africans' expected festive shopping behaviour, and how much they plan to spend on gifts for their loved ones, including family, partners, children and friends.

The overwhelming majority of parents who completed the survey will be treating their children this year, with 40% planning on spending up to R500 per child, and 39% planning on spending between R500 and R1 000 per child. Fifteen percent of parents surveyed plan to spend between R1 000 and R3 000, while a small percentage (3%) are planning on spending over R3 000 per child.

When it comes to gifts for partners, the survey results showed a great proportion of respondents in a relationship - 42% of men and 37% of women - would spend between R500 and R1 000 per gift on their significant others. In addition, a third of men (34%) and a quarter of women (24%) are likely to spend over R1 000 on a gift for their partners.

Nearly 60% of respondents said their ideal gift would be a gadget of some sort, with cash and vouchers coming in at a distant second (12.7%), and other articles, from jewellery to CDs or DVDs, made up only a marginal fraction of the amount.

eBucks CEO Jolande Duvenage says this trend is nothing new. “eBucks has consistently found gadgets to be very popular gifts during the festive season. If you are wondering what gift to buy for that someone who seems to have everything, you are unlikely to strike out if you get one of the new tech products recently released in SA.” The runner-up gift of choice, cash or vouchers, constituted 13% of the total, with other items such as jewellery, books and appliances making up the marginal residual.

She says gift vouchers were the most popular items purchased in the eBucks store over both the 2009 and 2010 festive seasons.

Duvenage says there is an indication that South Africans are becoming more thoughtful with regards to the gifts they buy, and for whom. “[The results] show that people are putting more thought into how they will be spending on gifts this year, and buying more meaningful gifts for those who are closest to them. With the current economic downturn and survey results, we expect that people will be more responsible and savvy with what they spend, with significant others receiving more expensive gifts.”

Just under half (48%) of respondents plan on buying gifts for one to five people, while 38% are planning on buying for five to10 people.

“When it comes to actually shopping for gifts, nearly 50% of respondents said they would buy gifts from a number of shops, as well as online stores,” says Duvenage. There are still those, about 40% of them, who like to touch and see the items they purchase in physical shops. Eight percent of respondents said that they will be doing all their shopping online, to save time and avoid the characteristic holiday crowds.

Duvenage concludes: “We have already seen an increase in activity in the eBucks online shop, as our members have already started buying their festive season goodies. We are also seeing increased activity from our partners, where members can spend their eBucks.”