December 8th, 2023, Janice Fernandes
As consumers seek the perfect holiday gifts, they explore a variety of sources in their quest to get them right. A trended YouGov survey explores the sources consumers across 17 markets use most often and how preferences have changed in the last two years (from 2021 to 2023) amidst the evolving landscape of the holiday season.
Social media platforms
Social media platforms have surged from 32% in 2021 to 36% in 2023 overall. Regional highlights include a significant leap in Great Britain, climbing precipitously from 18% to 30%. The Nordic markets join the trend, with proportions in Denmark and Sweden going from 17% to 25% and 20% to 27%, respectively. The US echoes the global shift, with rates jumping from 20% in 2021 to 28% in 2023. Meanwhile, India (59%; 58%) and Singapore (49%; 47%) maintain a high but steady rate.
Family/friends/colleagues
Family, friends, and colleagues maintain their influence as a source of guidance for consumers shopping for holiday gifts, holding steady at 48% over two years. Consumers in Britain (48%; 49%), Spain (49%; 48%) and UAE (52%) follow the same path. Notable exceptions include Denmark, where the rate dips from 49% in 2021 to 43% in 2023, and Sweden, where the trend reverses from 41% to 47%.
Retailer websites/apps
Retailer websites/apps retain their grip, with a minimal change from 45% in 2021 to 44% in 2023 globally. However, Hong Kong stands out, witnessing a significant spike from 36% to 55%. Conversely, Indonesia sees a sharp decline in consumers who turn to online retailers to find products, dropping from 49% to 28%.
TV ads
TV ads maintain a hold of roughly a quarter of overall respondents (27%; 26%) for product discovery. Italy sees a slight uptick from 28% to 31%, while France experiences a dip from 28% to 24%. In the US, TV ads are not as popular a source in 2023 (29%) as they were in 2021 (31%). Consumers in Poland (28%; 18%) and Singapore (24%; 17%) are significantly less likely to rely on TV ads for holiday product discovery.
Search engines
Search engines continue to dominate, logging 54% in 2021 and 53% in 2023. They have a particularly strong hold in certain European markets such as the UK (66%; 65%), Italy (61%; 61%), Denmark (69%; 63%) and Sweden (64%; 62%). US respondents (50%; 52%) are more likely to use search engines for holiday season shopping than their North American neighbors – Mexico (39%; 34%).
Out-of-home advertisements
Around one in eight overall respondents continue to get holiday gifting ideas from out of home adverts, at 13% in both 2021 and 2023. In the last two years the same proportion of UAE residents say they use search engines (17%). Denmark (8% to 12%) and Sweden (10% to 13%) have seen an increase in the influence of out-of-home advertisements for product discovery during the holiday season.
Online reviews and recommendations
Around two-fifths of consumers say they use online reviews and recommendations both in 2021 (41%) and 2023 (39%). Similarly, the US maintains a consistent proportion at 40% in 2021 and 39% in 2023. On the other hand, while in 2021 around 45% of Britons said they used online reviews to find products, in 2023 that figure has dropped to 39%.
Radio
Radio captures a niche audience with roughly around one in ten overall respondents saying they turn to this medium to find products (11%; 9%). This low share is seen across most of the surveyed markets – Britain (4%; 6%), Denmark (3%; 5%), Sweden (6%) and US (10%). Countries where a higher proportion of consumers say they use the radio for holiday product discovery includes UAE (17%; 14%), Australia (15%; 13%) and Hong Kong (7%; 13%)
Online audio streaming platforms
Online audio streaming platforms experience a slight overall dip from 10% in 2021 to 8% in 2023. This medium is not a very popular source for product discovery in individual markets with Hong Kong seeing the highest spike in consumer usage from 2021 (10%) to 2023 (21%). Data indicates a steep drop among urban Indians using audio streaming platform going from 28% in 2021 to 18% in 2023.
Printed magazines and newspapers
Print magazines and newspapers witness a decline from 20% in 2021 to 16% in 2023 among overall respondents. The same trend is seen across individual markets with the percentage of consumers using traditional media dropping in France (34%; 27%), Denmark (30%; 20%), US (19%; 16%), UAE (22%; 15%), India (35%; 25%) and Singapore (21%; 15%). The only two markets surveyed to register a slight increase in consumers using traditional print media are Sweden (20%; 22%) and Hong Kong (21%; 25%).
In the grand scheme, consumers exhibit a remarkable consistency in their sources for holiday gifting finds, with preferences largely unchanged over two years.
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2021 Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 513 and 2020 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in October 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
2023 Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 508 and 2001 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in September2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
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