The 15th study by the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Administration (IPAM) characterizes consumer behavior when it comes to Christmas shopping.
More than half of consumers in Portugal expect to spend less money this Christmas, reducing the amount they spent last year by around 5.5%.
The conclusions are included in the 15th study by the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Administration (IPAM) – Porto, which characterizes consumer behavior when it comes to Christmas shopping, and whose findings were made known this Friday.
Comparing this year’s data with that collected in 2022, the researchers found that 60% of those surveyed will spend less.
According to the data collected by IPAM, the average amount to be spent on Christmas shopping this year is 356 euros, which corresponds to a 5.5% decrease on last year’s average of 377 euros, based on a sample with identical characteristics, the institute points out. “It should be noted that this value varies according to social class,” it adds, breaking down the average value by class: 61o euros (A), 425 euros (B), 325 euros (C1), 300 euros (C2) and 118 euros (C).
According to the researchers, in order to understand the financial situation of the families, it was important to know which ones would receive the Christmas allowance.”79% of our sample receives the allowance at this time, which could have consequences for their Christmas shopping behavior. It should be noted that this figure has remained practically unchanged since 2020″, the document states.
According to IPAM, 3% of respondents who have received or will receive a Christmas allowance will not use it for Christmas shopping. It should be noted that 2% of respondents admit to using the entire allowance for such purchases.
On the other hand, 23% of those taking part in the study admitted that they were not going to buy Christmas presents. With regard to those who do buy presents, we found that in households with children (55% of those surveyed), 100% of them received Christmas presents. Overall, it should also be noted that 60% of respondents mentioned buying Christmas presents for their spouse and 59% for their parents, siblings and other relatives,” says IPAM, adding that “only 27% of respondents said they intended to buy presents for friends”.
The data was collected in surveys carried out online and in person, in order to complete the quotas defined for the social classes, between November 26 and December 9, 2023, in mainland Portugal. The sample consists of 560 individuals, distributed by social class (A, B, C1, C2, D).