‘Tis the season of receiving: Self-gifting soars heading into Christmas 2020

This year Aussies will be more likely to buy Christmas gifts for themselves than for their grandparents, according to new research from ebay.com.au and buy now pay later budgeting tool Afterpay.

The study found that a whopping 44% of Australians will be treating themselves to a present this Christmas, while just 29% plan on buying one for their grandmother and even less (26%) for their grandfather.

Interestingly, it appears that more females (31%) are embracing the “self-gifting” trend as opposed to just 21% of men, and NSW is actually home to the most self-gifters in Australia (30%).

“It’s been a tough year so people are taking the opportunity to treat themselves this Christmas with fashion, electronics, beauty products and fragrances topping the list. And why not?” said eBay Australia’s Sophie Onikul. 

“With nearly half of Aussies (44%) planning to buy Christmas presents on Black Friday and take advantage of deals, it’s the perfect opportunity to reward yourself without the guilt.”

Who else is on the naughty list this year?

• Dad: There’ll be fewer pressies under the tree this year for Aussies dads, with 51% of people planning on cutting their father off the shopping list this year and 41% not buying a gift for their mum. Our hearts go out to SA dads, especially who are most likely to miss out on a gift (54%).
• Significant others: If ‘receiving gifts’ is your love language then there might be some trouble in paradise this holiday season, with more than one-third of Aussies saying they won’t be buying their spouse or partner a Christmas gift this year.
• Siblings: The study also found that when money is tight, siblings are usually first to cop a cheaper gift 46%) if at all (11%), closely followed by grandfathers (11%).

“The lead up to Christmas can be a financially challenging time for many people, so it’s understandable that there will have to be tough decisions on who makes it on the Christmas list,” said Katrina Konstas, sales director, ANZ, Afterpay.

“Nearly one-third of (29 per cent) Aussies plan to use Afterpay as a responsible budgeting tool to spread out their payments without interest, so they don’t miss out on the best deals available in the lead up to Christmas.”

As they say, the best gifts in life are free. After a rocky year in the financial department for many, you might choose to make your own DIY gifts this or even opt for a ‘giftless’ Christmas this year.

However, if you are going to be buying presents this year, then be sure to shop around and take advantage of sales opportunities like Black Friday or Instagram’s InstaNight Shopping event (6 pm, Thursday, December 3) so you can score a bargain.