Reveal Marketing Research Study: Romanians are more thrifty in anticipation of the winter holidays. They will spend 12% less than last year on food, gifts and decorations

Reveal Market Resources, Study No. 144

Reveal Marketing Research’s annual survey conducted in the run-up to the holidays aims to get a detailed picture of how Romanians’ winter holiday plans are evolving from year to year.

• This year, Romanians will spend Christmas at home (56%) or visiting loved ones (39%).
• 32% of the Christmas budget will be spent on food and drinks, 28% on gifts and 11% on decorations and festive atmosphere
• 5 out of 10 Romanians bought Christmas presents in advance or will place orders online to take advantage of discounts and avoid the crowds in shops

The feeling of enthusiasm felt by Romanians around the holidays decreases from 17% in 2022 to 6% in 2023

According to the Reveal Marketing Research survey results, this year Romanians have more positive feelings in anticipation of the holidays (73%), compared to last year (64%). The most frequently mentioned emotions that the holidays arouse are happiness/joy (26%), feeling good (16%) and feeling of contentment (12%).

Staying in the realm of positive emotions, we see a decrease in the feeling of excitement around the holidays from 17% in 2022 to only 6% this year, with the fact that last year Romanians enjoyed their first Christmas without restrictions being the main explanation.

On the other hand, negative thoughts do not leave 22% of Romanians this year either, with indifference (7%) and sadness or stress (7%) being the most frequently mentioned.

Most Romanians will spend Christmas at home (56%) or visiting (39%)

The majority of Romanians will spend the Christmas holidays at home again this year (56%), reaching 72% for people over 55 years old and 73% for people with a low income below 2000 RON.

Moreover, 39% of Romanians intend to visit their loved ones (family, friends) during the winter holidays, with a significantly higher number of those aged 45-55 (46%). We can observe that visits outside the locality of residence are more preferred by young people aged 18-24 (18% vs. 13% of the total sample).

Romanians are more thrifty about managing their holiday spending

According to the Reveal Marketing Research results, the budget allocated for Christmas holidays will be similar (50%) or lower (38%) compared to last year. Only 12% cite a higher budget, with those aged 44-55 (25%) significantly more likely to do so.

Marius Luican, CEO of Reveal Marketing Research

“Given the increases in prices of products and services over the past year, the 88% of Romanians who say they will allocate a similar or lower budget for the Christmas holidays than in 2022 will have to make adjustments to their shopping basket, as such a budget would not allow them to purchase the same products or maintain the same level of gifts and spending as last year.”

Taking a look at the organization of spending, as a percentage, 32% of the holiday budget will go towards food and drink, 28% towards gifts and 11% towards decorations and festive atmosphere.

Romanians are more thrifty when it comes to managing their holiday spending, with 11% of this year’s budget going to an unexpected expense fund.

Compared to the winter holidays in 2022, more than half of Romanians (64%) say they will reduce spending on decorations and festive atmosphere, while 46% plan to allocate a smaller budget to gifts and 38% will reduce the amount spent on food and drink purchases.

The average amount Romanians say they will spend this year on food and drinks (546 RON), gifts (492 RON) and decorations (149 RON) is 1188 RON, down 12% compared to 2022 (1350 RON).

What gifts Romanians want for Christmas

Exchanging gifts is a significant tradition in the celebration of Christmas, and most Romanians (35%) are not picky, saying it doesn’t matter what presents they receive.

Clothes are the most desired gifts this Christmas too (30%), especially by those aged 18-34 (37%). Clothing items are followed by jewellery, watches (18%) and personal care products (18%), categories preferred more by women. For example, 22% of women want personal care products vs. 14% of men.

Gifts for specific hobbies/hobbies are preferred by 15%, more so by men (21% vs. 10% women) and those aged 45-55 (29%), and gadgets by 14% of respondents.

Romanians still prefer to buy their Christmas presents in physical shops (43%), rather than online (26%). We also find that this year, 20% of respondents bought their presents in advance to take advantage of discounts and avoid crowds.

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About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company specializing in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for good decisions and brand positioning. The qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and other European countries for 15 years.

Reveal Market Resources, study no. 144: Reveal Market Resources is a data hub of free studies offered to audiences, with the aim of supporting the marketing and communication market in Romania.

Methodology: Reveal Marketing Research was conducted online between 11-16.12.2023 on a representative sample of urban and rural internet users aged 18+. The sample size was 1015 respondents and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at 95% confidence level.