Bizarrely, and perhaps taking efficiency a step too far, 12% of Australians say they’ve done their online Christmas shopping while sitting on the toilet. Which perhaps gives a whole other meaning to the old saying, to “spend a penny”.
This charming statistic is just one of the insights offered in a survey of 1,500 Australians commissioned by buy now, pay later service, Laybuy.
Bed is the best spot for an online shopping session, according to 40% of Australians who responded saying they’ve indulged in this most comfortable form of retail therapy over the past year.
Work is another popular option, with close to a quarter of Australians confessing to spending money online on the clock.
A woeful 3% of survey respondents say their Dad is the most important person, excluding children, that they buy a Christmas gift for – a tie with the household pet that also got 3%!
This is particularly painful when compared to Mums’ stats, with about 18% agreeing she should take top priority.
A romantic partner is the considered the most important person to buy a Christmas gift for, according to the highest percentage (43%) of Australians in agreement on the matter.
Less than 1% love their neighbour enough to prioritise their present.
In fact, a fair few – one in 10 Australians – say buying a gift for themselves is at the top of the list.
When it comes to Christmas shopping habits, most Australians prefer not to leave it until the last minute.
One in five people start their Christmas shopping in September, November is the most popular month, and only 4% of Australians save it for the final week.
While Santa may be full of surprises for young kids, the research indicates Australian adults prefer to take the guesswork out of it when exchanging presents.
Over two-thirds of Australians say they drop hints or tell their nearest and dearest what they want for Christmas.
Nearly 5% take it to the next level by buying and wrapping their own presents on behalf of friends or relatives.
This might be because of how frequently gift givers get it wrong – almost 40% of Australians admit they’ve regifted or sold Christmas presents!
A happy compromise between spoiling the element of surprise completely is the versatile gift voucher; a whopping 86% of Australians say they would be happy with a voucher as a gift.
Families across Australia will tighten the purse strings this year, with 38% of respondents saying they will be spending less this year due to COVID and nearly 30% agreeing the worst thing about Christmas is debt from spending too much.
Despite this, 64% of Australians demonstrated selflessness, saying they would be happy with a donation to charity on their behalf as a gift.
It’s the simple pleasures that remain the most important: 65% say the best thing about Christmas is spending time with family, followed by festive food and drink at 48%.
For more festive season stories:
- Your guide to Canberra’s best Christmas lights 2020
- 9 ways to celebrate Christmas sustainably this year
- Kids in Care knows the value of a toy, or toothbrush, this Xmas
- Lifeline Canberra Christmas Appeal launch
- Penny-farthing Santa to cruise Lake Burley Griffin
- Have you heard? Communities@Work Christmas Appeal
- GIVIT Christmas appeal supports struggling businesses and vulnerable Canberrans
