The mere mention of Christmas before summer is out is way too early for many people, and there is always incredulity at big department stores opening up their Christmas departments when outside everyone is still in shorts and T-shirts.
But in fact the stores know exactly what they are doing. Latest data from Kantar Media’s Republic of Ireland TGI study of consumer behaviour reveals that it is those people who have the most friends and relatives to buy for and who spend the most on Christmas gifts who start their shopping many months in advance. They are exactly the kinds of consumers these stores want to attract.
In fact, TGI data shows that 8% of adults start planning their Christmas present purchases before September. These people are starting early with good reason. They are almost three times more likely than the average adult to buy Christmas presents for more than 15 people and twice as likely to spend €750 or more on Christmas presents.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the ‘lifestages’ these early present buyers are most likely to be in are those where young children are present in the family: Playschool Parents (97% more likely than the average adult), Primary School Parents (78% more likely) and Secondary School Parents (26% more likely).
In terms of appealing effectively to these early Christmas purchasers, TGI data reveals they are 66% more likely to agree that they tend to buy products from companies who sponsor TV programmes, 65% more likely to often enter competitions featured on packets or labels and 56% more likely to search online for products they see advertised whilst watching TV.
To view archived TGI Insights of the Week please click HERE
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