Who wants tech for Christmas?
It seems that no festive period can pass without a heartfelt plea for us to put down our devices. This article isn’t about the people who want to switch off and luxuriate in the company of loving families – it’s about the people who want their festive season to feature more electronics and more technology, ideally in the form of presents.
So which Britons actively want tech gifts for Christmas?
Looking at data from YouGov Profiles and BrandIndex, just 9% of the general public want their stocking filled with silicon and semi-conductors. This doesn’t make tech a particularly popular choice: by comparison, a third (33%) want clothes or shoes, a quarter want books (25%), and a fifth want vouchers (20%), health and beauty products (20%), food (20%), or drink (18%).
This group of people who want tech gifts for Christmas is comprised largely of men: 76% are male, while 24% are female.
Age wise, they’re more likely to be younger than the general public. A fifth (20%) are aged 18-24 next to one in nine (11%) Britons. This could partially be attributed to income: 41% of Britons under 25 have an income under £20,000 a year – compared to just 29% of Britons over 25. This group might want tech gifts for pragmatic reasons: a big-ticket purchase like an smartphone or a PS5 Pro might be otherwise financially out of reach.
That said, although Britons who want to receive electronics as gifts are less likely to be over 55 (29% vs. 39% of the nation), this is still a significant group – and Britons who want tech gifts are slightly more likely to be aged 45-54 than the general public (23% vs. 18%).
So alongside younger, more cash-strapped (and usually male) Britons, another audience looks to be older, less-tech savvy (and usually male) Britons: the sort of consumer who might think a Samsung Galaxy is a kind of fancy chocolate bar.
The favoured tech brands of consumers who want tech gifts for Christmas
Combining YouGov BrandIndex Impression scores with YouGov Profiles data, we can identify the preferred tech brands of Britons who want electronics for Christmas.
The general electronics brand with the highest positive Impression is Sony (54%), followed by… Sony’s own PlayStation brand (50%). Hardware manufacturer Intel (43%) comes third.
PlayStation competitors Xbox (42%) and Nintendo (39%) are close behind.
If you’re looking to gift a new mobile phone this Christmas, iPhone (51%) and Samsung (47%) are the most popular brands followed by Sony, (30%), and Samsung’s sub-brand Galaxy (26%). Nokia, who have moved into “dumbphones” in an attempt to provide an alternative to the main players in the market, round out the top five.
For the tech lover who wants a new computer, Samsung (59%) is the favourite brand – followed by Sony (51%) and HP (40%). LG (39%) and Apple Mac (37%) are near behind.
Finally, for those looking for a new tablet, the iPad (47%) reigns supreme, with HP (31%), LG (30%), and Dell (29%) further off in second, third, and fourth respectively. Microsoft Surface (23%) completes the top five.
Catching the eye of Britons who want tech gifts for Christmas
We have a better idea of who these Britons are, and what brands they like. But how can marketers reach them?
Looking at general attitudes towards advertising shows that those who want tech gifts tend to be more alert to advertising. Some 44% say they often notice adverts in bus stops – next to 37% of the public – while a third (34% vs. 27%) say they notice who sponsors sporting events, and half (51% vs. 46%) say they pay attention to posters.
But marketers and brands can’t necessarily expect to win them over easily: this group are also more likely to say they expect advertisements to entertain them (56% vs. 49%). A generic campaign may not cut it this festive season: Britons who want tech gifts may expect something more visually and narratively arresting.
Digging deeper into their preferred channels, Britons who want to receive tech gifts display a preference for online advertising (53% vs. 48%), TV ads (44% vs. 40%), and ads in print newspapers (24% vs. 15%) compared to the wider public. These may be good places to begin in terms of marketing spend.
The above represents a small slice of our insights into the thoughts, preferences, and behaviours of Britons in the run-up to Christmas. We can provide more intelligence on your chosen audience – and how your brand is perceived by them – using YouGov Profiles and BrandIndex.
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Methodology
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for Great Britain is nationally representative of the online population and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.