Almost two-thirds of shoppers say they’re on the hunt for eco-friendly gifts this year – and would like to receive one themselves, according to new data.
Gift wholesaler Sass & Belle quizzed people on their shopping habits this Christmas, with 65% planning to buy their loved ones a gift that’s kind to the planet. Over half said they’d love to receive an environmentally-friendly gift themselves.
More than a quarter of gift-givers are also keen to buy presents that are cruelty-free, while 8% said they’ll be buying second-hand items.
When it comes to where they’ll be shopping, an “overwhelming” number of people said they will be making an extra effort to buy from small/independent businesses this year.
Sass & Belle founder Richard Stone said: “We know that we are in the age of conscious consumerism, with more and more businesses creating dedicated collections for eco-friendly and cruelty-free products. These findings reaffirm to businesses the types of products they should be focusing their marketing efforts on as Christmas draws closer to capture those shoppers planning to buy their last few gifts.
“It’s also great to see overwhelming support for shopping small this Christmas. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy – and with this year being so tough – it’s arguably never been more important for us to rally behind and shop small.
“The hope is that – with the rollout of the vaccine now underway – we can begin to resume some sort of normality over the coming months and minimise any further losses to the high street and beyond.”
When it comes to budget this Christmas, one in ten said they’ll be splurging more on gifts for family and friends, while 43% said they’ll be spending less. 46% of respondents said they’ll be spending about the same as usual.
Shopper Teagan Frawley, from London, said: “After the tough year we’ve all had it’s small businesses that have been hit the hardest. It’s more important than ever that we support small business owners so they’re able to put food on their table.
“I’ve been buying many handmade products such as bath products and jewellery; I love shopping small for all the love that goes into the packaging, such as the beautiful wrapping, little hand-written notes and free sweets!”
December 5 saw the UK celebrating its eighth annual Small Business Saturday – a grassroots campaign which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to shop at local independents.
Research reveals that spend on Small Business Saturday hit £1.1 billion, the highest ever recorded figure, with 15.4 million people hitting the high street and shopping small.
There were around 5.94 million small businesses in the UK, at the start of 2020, making up 99.3% of all businesses. A recent survey found that 23% of SMEs believe they are at risk of permanently closing in the next few months.
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Tagged with: BUSINESS NEWS • ECONOMIC NEWS • MAKE MONEY
