Britain’s Biggest Gift-Buying Mistakes

For some it is a source of excitement, for others it’s a chore, and in reality, there’s no getting around the yearly Christmas shopping frenzy and the challenge finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones. A recent study found that the average Brit will buy 22 different gifts for nine people, spending almost £379 in total throughout the festive period.

Whether you started your shopping during last year’s Boxing Day sales, or will be putting the daunting task off until the days leading up to the big day, there are no shortage of ways to make this year’s Christmas shopping a little bit less stressful. Today, consumers have the benefit of apps and websites to save them time and money.

Belle About Town talked to Yiannis Faf, Co-founder of gift-request app WhatWeWant to uncover some of the biggest mistakes people make when buying a Christmas gift. Below, Yiannis reveals why we should be looking to technology to make the entire gift giving process less stressful.  

Ignoring the convenience of online shopping

If you tend to stick to traditional bricks and mortar stores during your yearly scavenge for presents, why not venture into the digital world and see what e-commerce platforms have to offer? Online retail giants, most notably Amazon, have mastered the “one click purchase”, which makes it incredibly easy for people to make a purchase on their phone or laptop within seconds, and all from the comfort of their own home. 

Not only does this offer convenience, but it also allows consumers to shop around for more unusual gifts or ones that they might not have thought of. Many websites, for instance, might categorise presents to help direct shoppers to promising options (for him, for her, for mums, for dads… the list goes on). On top of this, consumers can also compare prices between different retailers to find the best deal available.

It’s no surprise that three quarters of consumers in the UK buy half of their Christmas presents online!

Ignoring the hints on offer on social media

It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the run-up to Christmas, not knowing what to buy your loved ones, or even from where. This means many of us put off our Christmas shopping until the last minute, making the entire experience all the more overwhelming. For those likely to fall into this trap, I would suggest leveraging a tool that you likely use on a daily basis to help you lock down the perfect gifts. By this, I am referring to social media.

Social media now acts as a point of discovery and inspiration for many people; just think how many potential items you come across every day as you scroll through your connections’ posts. Ranging from restaurants people have frequented, to beauty products they’ve tested, social media serves as an endless source of inspiration.  

What’s more, lots of social media platforms now have in-built functionality that allows users to purchase items directly through the app. On Instagram, advertisers and businesses can now ‘tag’ their images and videos with links that direct people to their e-commerce sites. So if a user stumbles across a make-up product or item of clothing that they think one of their friends might like, they can simply click through directly to the retailer’s website and complete the checkout within minutes.

According to a recent survey, a third (34%) of those discovering brands on social media said they had clicked through to purchase an item from the business – hinting at the popularity of this model.

Focusing on material gifts

We typically think about gift giving as the exchange of physical objects, but what about experience gifts? Concert tickets, a spa treatment, a voucher for a 3-course taster menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant… these are all examples of activities that you can gift to your loved ones.

Apps like Groupon are a great place to start your search for quirky and memorable experiences. The experiential gift allows shoppers to tailor presents towards the specific interests and hobbies of their loved ones and offer a present that will give rise to long-lasting memories. During last year’s festive season, the UK spent a massive £1.6 billion on experience gifts, and this figure looks likely to rise this year.

Focusing on quantity, not quality

The temptation to buy loved ones multiple gifts is hard to resist. But this naturally results in many people gifting items that are ultimately thrown away, given to charity (the best-case scenario), or which are left to sit gathering dust.

Instead, I would recommend banding together with friends and/or family and deciding on one valuable and meaningful gift for a mutual family member or friend. While something like a pack of guitar lessons, or a new phone, might be out of your budget, by combining efforts you can give a gift that the recipient will find greater value in. Indeed, this goal sits at the heart of WhatWeWant.

The overarching point is that technology is here to make gift shopping a little less complicated, and a little more enjoyable, this Christmas. Don’t miss the chance to take advantage of some of these solutions to make the most of the festive season!

• WhatWeWant (WWW) is a crowdfunding app that acts as the ultimate, easy-to-use gifting solution. Users can conveniently upload any gift they wish to receive from anywhere, the app will automatically notify friends and family by inviting them to contribute to the gift, once the target has been reached the user can withdraw their money and simply get What They Want.