Survey: Online spend per gift rises; outerwear most popular gift
Consumers are spending more money per gift online this holiday season than last — 49% more to be exact.
That’s according to e-gifting platform and service Loop Commerce, which announced insights into consumer gifting behavior and top gifts purchased between Dec. 10 and Dec. 16, 2016.
While consumers are spending more, the top gifts continue to be apparel, led by outerwear, including fleece sweatshirts and jackets. The data also underscores a growing trend toward more personalized, thoughtful gifts as accessories, like handbags, displaced traditional gifts of the past, such as kitchen appliances, cookware, and even electronics.
Loop Commerce evaluated purchases made through its large network of top retailers including Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Coach, among others.
“This holiday season, we are seeing not only more gifts being purchased on mobile devices and online, but shoppers are buying more expensive and personal gifts than ever before,” said Roy Erez, CEO and co-founder of Loop Commerce. “With last-minute shoppers coming online during these final shopping days before Christmas, we anticipate that these gift givers will continue to purchase personal and thoughtful gifts as retailers can now easily accommodate them through an e-gifting option.”
Significant findings of the survey Include:
• Online spend per gift up 49% over last year: Men are spending roughly 30% more than women on average. From Dec. 10 to Dec. 16, men spent 16% more versus the previous week (Dec. 3 – Dec. 9) and 37% more versus the same period last year. The amount women spent this year also grew – with their average spend per gift up 7% from last week and increasing 53% over last year.
• Outerwear most popular:This year, outdoor apparel continues to dominate top holiday gifts, and represented seven of the top 10 gifts purchased online the second week of December, with fleece jackets and sweatshirts the top gifts of the season so far. According to Loop Commerce, the top three categories for gifts included apparel (56%), accessories (15%) and health and beauty (6%) — a very significant shift compared to the same period last year. In 2015, the top three categories were apparel (30%, home and garden (15%) and health and beauty (13%).
• Mobile device browsing continues to increase:The growing number of retailers that have optimized their mobile sites and applications have drawn more consumers who are comfortable browsing on their phones. Loop again saw significant growth of 35% in mobile and tablet browsing, at the expense of desktop browsing, which decreased 55% over the same period last year.
The majority of online gifting transactions continue to take place on desktop, representing 66% of sales in 2016 versus 70% in 2015. While transactions on desktop decreased 5% year-over-year, transactions on mobile devices grew 12% (handsets and tablets combined).