CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A majority of Americans, 56%, said 2020 has been the worst year of their entire lives, according to the results of a new Groupon survey. This year, however, wasn’t all bad, and if nothing else, the past 11 months have taught nearly 70% of those surveyed to be even more appreciative of family and friends than they were at the start of the year. To that end, nearly 70% of people also indicated that they’re more determined than ever to give their loved ones the perfect gifts this year.
The survey, commissioned by Groupon, polled 2,000 people from around the United States to find out how the pandemic and other events have impacted holiday gifting trends. The study also looked at how people are changing their approach to celebrating this year and what they’re looking forward to the most over the next few weeks.
“We know we’ll have a different kind of holiday season this year, but according to our research, people are going into it with a mindset of appreciation,” said Groupon’s Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Beugelmans. “As we head into the end of the year, people are searching for ways to show their friends and family how much they are loved and missed. Whether they are planning on giving personalized experiences or goods, shoppers are looking for meaningful ways to communicate how much they care. Plus, we’re finding that many people are planning to gift experiences they can do with their loved ones in a post-COVID world.”
Show the Love This Season
In addition to being more appreciative of family and friends, 65% of those surveyed said they plan to put more thought into this year’s gifts and 60% intend on giving more personalized items and experiences. A whopping 76% of those surveyed said they hope their gifts bring added cheer to the recipient and uplift their spirits. Sixty-five percent said they plan to spend as much or more than they did on gifts last year.
Treat Yo’ Self...You Won’t Be Alone
According to the survey results, self-gifting is expected to increase 35% this year as people look to treat themselves more for all they’ve missed out on in 2020. Seventy-seven percent said they plan to treat themselves with more gifts this holiday season, which is up from 57%. The average person plans to buy themselves six gifts with the top self-gifts identified by participants as dinner, clothes, staycation/road trip, wine delivery and spa packages.
A Different Kind of Holidays
As COVID-19 continues to spread, health authorities are urging people to stay home for the holidays and keep celebrations small. Given the new realities created by the global pandemic, nearly 60% of Americans are opting for remote holiday celebrations. Fifty-six percent said they’re buying gifts people can use once the pandemic has subsided such as gift certificates/vouchers, spa packages, tickets to concerts and trips. Fifty-four percent of parents said they’re skipping the annual visit to the mall to see Santa with their children this year due to COVID-19 concerns, but more than 60% said they’d be open to having their child visit with St. Nick virtually.
Find Your Zen
While 2020 has been a very stressful year, the survey found that people are looking forward to the opportunity for some holiday down time. Being home and not having to travel, eating and drinking, exchanging gifts, watching movies and spending time with household family members were identified as activities participants are looking forward to the most this holiday season. When asked how they’ve managed to stay sane during quarantine, people identified listening to music, doing activities with household family members, binge watching movies and TV shows, reading books and taking better care of themselves as the top ways they’ve gotten through these tough times.
Shop Small, Help Local Businesses
Seventy percent said they plan to make more of an effort this holiday season to shop at small businesses as a way to help them recover from the negative impacts of COVID-19 closures.
Looking Ahead to a Post-COVID World
Seventy-four percent said they believe optimism about the future can be spread through a little holiday spirit. With 2020 representing the worst year ever for a majority of people, it should come as no surprise that the same number of respondents, 56%, said their New Year’s resolution is to make up for the things they missed in 2020. In fact, nearly 60% said they’re looking to buy gifts they can use with other people.
No matter how you plan to celebrate this holiday season, Groupon can help you find what’s next on your list for when you and your loved ones are ready to experience more. Whether it’s an outdoor light show, ice skating, a relaxing spa package, a virtual holiday concert with a digital album download or an online Christmas experience for the entire family complete with a photo and recording, Groupon has something for everyone on your list, including you. To view the entire Groupon holiday collection in your area, please visit https://www.groupon.com/landing/gifting-with-groupon.
About Groupon
Groupon (www.groupon.com) (NASDAQ: GRPN) is an experiences marketplace where consumers discover fun things to do and local businesses thrive. For our customers, this means giving them an amazing selection of experiences at great values. For our merchants, this means making it easy for them to partner with Groupon and reach millions of consumers around the world. To find out more about Groupon, please visit press.groupon.com.
