Influencers and social media now have more sway on the Christmas gifts Baby Boomers and Gen Z Brits buy than multi-million pound advertising campaigns, according to new research from the UK’s most popular online classified platform, Gumtree.
Almost three quarters (72%) of 16-24 year olds polled say they were ‘very likely’ or ‘quite likely’ to buy a Christmas item for someone because they have seen it on social media, compared to just over half (56%) who say the same for traditional Christmas ads.
Surprisingly, those surveyed who are Grandparents are more likely to purchase an item for someone for Christmas because they have seen it on social media adverts or from influencers on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook (71%) than they are likely2 to purchase an item for someone for Christmas because they have seen it on Christmas TV ads (66%). However, traditional Christmas TV ads (56%2) remain more influential than social media (36%2) on the Christmas presents they will purchase for Gen X respondents (those aged 44-59).
The news comes as brands such as Asda, Sainsbury’s and Aldi release their Christmas ads as John Lewis kicked off the festive period earlier than ever with a three-part campaign, teasing their full Christmas ad – estimated to have cost up to £7 million to create, and with much more money going on advertising spots for it over Christmas.
With the average user spending 2 hours and 23 minutes on social media in a day, almost a third (31%) of Brits admit to feeling pressure to buy items thanks to seeing influencers on Instagram and TikTok and social media in general. Almost half of those polled (45%) say they also felt pressure to buy items for children thanks to annual ‘must have’ toy lists.
This pressure is estimated to cost consumers a total of over £1 billion every year on social media purchases. Those surveyed who have purchased an item because they saw it on social media are most likely to be influenced by a video on TikTok (46%), followed by a video on Facebook (36%) or a still image on Facebook (33%), with men surveyed who have purchased an item because they saw it on social media twice as likely as women to spend under 10 seconds looking at an ad before purchasing (4% vs 2%). This suggests that men may be more likely to make snap decisions purchasing from social media ads than women.
Of these items purchased via social media, almost one in 10 respondents (7%) said that the item was not of the quality expected. As a result, these items often end up in landfill with 14 million tonnes of items needlessly purchased and thrown away every year in the UK. As a result, Gumtree is calling on consumers this Christmas to be mindful of mindless purchasing – particularly on social media – and ensure that Christmas doesn’t cost the earth by considering second hand items first and keeping them out of landfill.
Hannah Rouch, consumer expert at Gumtree, says: “At Gumtree we know all too well the pressure UK consumers feel to buy ‘new’ all year round. That’s why it’s no surprise to us to learn from this research that this is exactly the same at Christmas – and often intensified as retailers ramp up their festive advertising earlier than ever. That’s why we are calling on Christmas shoppers to think second hand first and not only save money, but help the planet too.”
