FatWallet.com, a savings resource for online deal hunters, has announced results of its 2016 Holiday Gift Buying Survey.
The study reports that 70% of parents plan to spend the same or more buying gifts for their children this year (men will outspend women), and 70% said getting the best deals is the most important factor when buying holiday gifts online (59% said. free shipping).
Parents said their kids want gift cards or money more than anything else, followed by toys, video games and laptops. More than four in 10 (43%) of women and men equally want quality time with family as a holiday gift this year, 32% want gift cards, 22% want apparel and 18% would settle for a vacation.
2016 Holiday Gift Buying Survey results include:
Online Gift Buying Factors: Overall, 70% said "getting the best price" was most important, 59% said free shipping (63% of women and 55% of men), 30% return policy, 24% customer service, 23% price matching, 14% rewards, 6% layaway and surprisingly only 4% said a good mobile app was the biggest factor.
Best Gift Buying Experience: Overall, 64% said Amazon is best for buying gifts, 39% said Walmart (43% of women and 34% of men), 17% eBay, 17% Target, 16% Best Buy, 9% Macy's, 8% Home Depot and 7% toy R Us.
Buying Gifts for Spouse/Partner: Overall, 65% will buy gifts for their spouse or partner (73% by men and 60% by women), 46% buy more than one gift, 19% buy only one gift and in lieu of gifts, 7% will buy something big for the family to enjoy.
Buying Gifts for Children: Overall, 61% of parents buy holiday gifts for their children (77% by moms and 65% by dads), 35% buy 1-3 gifts, 36% buy more than 3 gifts and in lieu of gifts, 6% but I buy things on sale that their children need.
Spending on Gifts for Children: Overall, 70% of parents will spend the same or more than last year on gift for their kids with 17% saying they'll spend more (21% by dads and 13% by moms)
Other key results report that for most wanted tech products, 40% of parents said kids want iPads and tablets, 20% said iPhones and 19% said a Samsung or other smartphone. For non-traditional gifts, 23% of parents said that kids want a puppy, just ahead of 22% that thought kids want a trip to Disney World/Land and 21% said quality time with family. Also, 45% of adults will buy at least one holiday gift for their pets this year.
"There are many more aspects to consider when buying holiday gifts versus years past, but low prices always seems to be the biggest concern for the majority of shoppers," stated Brent Shelton, shopping expert with FatWallet.com. "Our deal hunting experts recognize cost concerns and work hard to assemble a smart list of the best holiday deals in December to help shoppers save while they finish up buying gifts this month."
