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The Wrap Up: Snappy’s 2022 Holiday Gift Report

Ciara Appelbaum
|
November 14, 2022

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means peak gifting season is right around the corner.

The Wrap Up: Snappy’s 2022 Holiday Gift Report surveyed over 1,500 Americans between the ages of 18 and 65+ to understand the ways that Americans are thinking about sharing and showcasing personal gratitude and kindness during the season of giving. Here are some of our top findings: 

What does this mean for businesses? How gifting impacts professional relationships.

In a time of workplace uncertainty, it's important to show appreciation to employees.

The holiday season is a big moment for celebration. It’s a time to reflect on all that’s been accomplished and overcome in the previous twelve months. Companies can use this time to show, instead of tell, their employees how much they are appreciated. The simplest and most effective way to share gratitude is through employee gifting, with 77% of Americans reporting that receiving a holiday gift from their company makes them feel appreciated. 

Appreciation and gratitude pays off, with 54.1% of employees reporting they are more likely to stay at their current job longer if they received a meaningful holiday gift from their employer. Yet 31.2% of Americans have never received a gift from their employer.

Four in 5 Americans (81.8%) report they will purchase a holiday gift for their direct boss this year. And while employees look forward to receiving a gift as a token of appreciation, more than half (52.4%) of Americans report their direct boss does not actually know them well enough to get them a meaningful gift. 

Luckily, Snappy's unique gifting platform was developed to solve this challenge, giving companies the power and opportunity to send meaningful workplace gifts at scale and support their efforts for employee appreciation and gratitude. In fact 41% of Forbes 100 companies are already using Snappy for celebrating meaningful moments with their employees.

Employees would rather skip the company holiday party this year. 

Company holiday parties are on their way back, but it’s not necessarily what employees want, with 61.7% of Americans reporting they would rather receive a holiday gift from their employer than attend an in-person holiday event. In fact, almost all Americans (96%) can agree that “gifts are an act of gratitude and kindness.”

The best gifts become a part of our daily lives and create memories.

When given a meaningful gift, 94.2% of Americans report that when using it, “I often think about the person who gave it to me.” That means the gifts we give and receive help create new traditions and make memories: from afternoons spent cranking out handmade noodles with your significant other using your new pasta maker, to cozy evenings by a fire working on a new favorite puzzle with your family, there are moments to be shared and memories to be made, all starting with a thoughtful gift.

Finding the “right” gift proves to be a big challenge. 

Nearly half of all Americans (45.4%) report the most challenging part of gifting is choosing the “right” gift for their recipient. When it comes to holiday gifting, 64.2% of Amerians need help with picking gifts. Knowing the challenges of holiday shopping – from finding the right gift (45.4%), to setting a budget (12.1%), finding time to shop (9.9%), wrapping the gift (8.7%) or making sure it ships to the right location (4.2%) – Americans need a little holiday help. Luckily, holiday shopping for your team can be done in a snap with Snappy. In fact, Snappy’s enterprise customers report the platform saves them thousands of hours of admin work and makes the gift sending process seamless.

Gifts in the tech and homegoods spaces continue to trend. 

 Based on all gifts claimed by Snappy users, technology and home goods are the most popular categories of gift items. Among them, wireless Bluetooth headphones, portable and high-end speakers, and drones are the most popular tech gifts. In home goods, Americans desire kitchen gadgets and flavors to make meal prep easy and convenient including air fryers, BlendJet portable blenders, Fly by Jing Sichuan sauces, and quality knife sets. 17.8% of Americans report seeking upgrades to items they already own, and it would appear we have many aspiring home chefs excited to outfit their kitchens with best-in-class tools.

Americans prefer to shop small and support business owners. 

The majority of Americans (64.1%) report preferring to purchase and receive gifts that support small businesses. This is big news for smaller brands during the busy holiday season! When purchasing gifts through Snappy, recipients can easily find products sourced from small business owners, as well as businesses that are minority owned, and offer sustainable business practices. Four in 10 Americans prefer, and are seeking gifts, that are eco-friendly. Half of Americans (50%) prefer purchasing gifts that give back to charities and nonprofit organizations close to their heart.

Holiday gift returns will get tougher with stricter store policies. 

According to Snappy’s 2022 Holiday Gift Report, 25.3% of Americans returned a gift last year. Additionally, 16.8% report they threw away a gift they didn’t like, 26.8% donated at least one gift they received last year, and 31.2% report regifting a product they initially received as a gift this year. 

After massive year-over-year increases in both online shopping and returns of those purchases (returns increased 10% from 2020 to 2021), retailers are getting stricter about their return policies. With Snappy, recipients get to choose the gift they prefer dropping the return rate down to 0.5%. 

Read the full survey results.

Start sending meaningful gifts with Snappy.

Looking to send meaningful holiday gifts to your employees and clients? Get in touch at Snappy.com/demo today.

Want to start sharing delightful gifting experiences with all your friends, family and loved ones, visit SnappyGifts.com today.

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