BRITS are ditching big-ticket items this Christmas in favour of “micro gifting”, according to research.
A study revealed 22 per cent do not intend to buy anyone a singular, pricey item, opting instead to give loved ones lots of smaller gifts.
The shift comes down to people wanting to give more thoughtful and personal gifts, affordability (as micro gifts often have lower price points) and it being easier to spread the cost and budget better.
According to 39 per cent of all respondents, micro gifting is becoming popular, especially among younger generations, with one-third (36 per cent) believing it’s Gen Z embracing the trend the most.
The research of two thousand adults from Virgin Money follows the launch of its autumn spend report detailing spend from September to November this year by their credit card customers.
Nick Martin, head of lending insights at Virgin Money, said: “Our research shows a clear shift towards ‘micro gifting’, with people preferring multiple smaller gifts over one big-ticket item.
“Everyone loves opening presents on Christmas Day, but what really stands out is the move towards more thoughtful, personal gifts for friends and family.
“This trend is proving popular with both shoppers and recipients.”
Almost half (45 per cent) also said they’d recommend ‘micro gifting’ to friends and family due to it being budget-friendly, encouraging thoughtfulness and being a fun and creative way to surprise someone.
Thirty-eight per cent reckon having more mini items to buy makes festive shopping more fun, according to the OnePoll.com data.
Interestingly, 17 per cent would prefer to receive these compared to 10 per cent who would opt for a singular, more expensive present.
Top smaller presents include chocolates, cosy socks and scented candles or diffusers.
Other popular mini gifts include bath salts, food and drink sets, as well as lip balms, hand creams, or hot chocolate sets.
It also emerged respondents will buy an average of five presents per person this year, spending £49 in total, which is down £16 from £65 in 2024.
However, 52 per cent admit they feel pressured to buy expensive gifts.
It also emerged 57 per cent start their festive shopping in November or earlier and most (47 per cent) expect to finish by mid-December.
Virgin Money’s spend trends report revealed their credit card customers spent £1.9 billion on purchases in September, October and November this year.
Martin added: “Our customer spend data shows tech and electrical goods dominated spending in autumn, likely for Christmas gifts.
“We can see people were making the most of the recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, as our credit card customers made 1.2 million lifestyle purchases, the equivalent of seven per second, totalling £77 million on Black Friday and Cyber Monday alone.
“Interestingly, overall spend for the quarter is down compared to the previous quarter, suggesting smaller, more thoughtful, budget-friendly gifts could be on the agenda this Christmas.”
