Christmas gifting in Hong Kong: where are consumers getting their gifts and gift ideas from in 2022?

In our earlier article, we explored the proportion of consumers in Hong Kong who are planning to buy Christmas gifts this year, how much they are planning to spend for various giftees, and when they are planning to make their purchases.

In Part 2 of this two-part series, we explore where most consumers are planning to buy their Christmas gifts from this year, as well as their top sources of gift ideas.

Where are consumers planning to buy Christmas gifts from?

Two in three consumers who intend to purchase Christmas gifts this year plan to do so in shopping malls (66%) – the most popular option by far – ahead of boutique stores (38%) and Hong Kong-based e-commerce platforms (36%), which are favoured by less than two in five.

Residents of the New Territories are significantly more likely than those in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island to do their Christmas gift buying in shopping malls (70% vs 62%), and significantly less likely to use Hong Kong-based e-commerce platforms (30% vs 42%).

Older consumers (Baby Boomers and Gen X) are unsurprisingly more likely than younger consumers (Gen Z and Millennials) to prefer buying Christmas gifts from shopping malls, and relatively less likely to buy from e-commerce platforms.

Nonetheless, more than half of Gen Z consumers say they will shop for Christmas gifts in physical stores – shopping malls (56%) and boutique stores (51%) – compared to less than half via online sources. Notably, Gen Z consumers are significantly more likely to get their Christmas gifts from boutique stores than other generations.

When asked what kind of promotion offered by shopping malls would encourage them to do their Christmas shopping there, about two in five say that discount vouchers would be attractive (41%), while over a quarter say redeemable mall membership points (27%) would entice them. On the other hand, around a third say it’s unlikely they would buy Christmas gifts from a shopping mall due to a festive promotion (32%).

Where are consumers getting Christmas gift ideas from?

Just under two in three consumers say they will rely on their personal observation of their gift recipients to decide on what to get them (64%). Meanwhile, around two in five say they get Christmas gift ideas from social media (40%) and festive promotions they come across (38%).

Close to a quarter take inspiration from recommended gift lists (23%), while a sixth will browse magazines for Christmas gift ideas (16%).

Just under half of younger Gen Z and Millennial consumers use social media to source gift ideas (48-49%), compared to just under two-fifths of Gen X (39%) and a quarter of Baby Boomers (24%). Notably, Gen X consumers are more likely than other generations to look out for promotions (44% vs 23-36%) and to browse magazines (21% vs 10-14%) when deciding on Christmas gifts.

Across regions, Hong Kong Island residents are significantly more likely than others to find gift ideas from social media – around half (49%) – compared to two-fifths of Kowloon residents (41%) and over a third of New Territories residents (35%).

How much are Hong Kongers planning to spend on Christmas gifts for various recipients, and when are the planning to do so this year? Read our Part 1 article to find out.

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Methodology: YouGov RealTime Omnibus provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on 20 October 2022, with an online representative sample of 1,020 adults in Hong Kong (aged 16+ years), using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age and gender to be representative of the adult online population in Hong Kong (16 years or older), and reflect the latest Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) population estimates. Learn more about YouGov RealTime Omnibus.