Slovenians have become increasingly rational when it comes to shopping for gifts, a survey by GfK Slovenija has found.
More and more people are deciding to give gift vouchers and are very careful not to spend more than planned on individual gifts.
An increasing number of Slovenian consumers are also buying gifts on-line.
On average, gifts given this holiday season will be cheaper than in the previous years, with most people spending some EUR 20 on an individual gift. An increasing number of people will spend only EUR 10 on a gift, the survey found.
Men continue to buy slightly more expensive gifts then women, the survey showed.
On the other hand, the number of people who will not give gifts to anybody has increased - this group includes more men than women.
Moreover, an average Slovenia will give gifts to a lower number of people this year than in the past.
Cosmetics, books and toys remain the most popular Christmas and New Year's gifts in Slovenia.
However, the poll suggests that people are becoming more creative, as many will make the gifts themselves.
Most of the DIY gifts will be made by women, while men still prefer to buy entertainment electronics as gifts.
An increasing number of people are buying gifts on-line.
When the survey was first conducted in 2007 only 10% of Slovenians bought gifts on-line, while this year the share jumped to nearly 40%, according to the survey conducted on 1,020 internet users aged between 18 and 55.
Most Slovenians buy gifts online on Slovenian web pages but the number of those who order from foreign web pages is increasing.
The GfK says this could be due to an increasing trust in financial transactions abroad.
However, it could also have something to do with the warning of the Slovenian Consumer Association, which has said that Slovenian on-line stores are the dearest compared to Austria, Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Germany.
Source: TheSloveniaTimes
