This year, Romanians will spend Christmas at home (56%) or visiting loved ones (39%), says the Reveal Marketing Research’s annual survey . 32% of the Christmas budget will be spent on food and drinks, 28% on gifts and 11% on decorations and festive atmosphere. 5 out of 10 Romanians bought Christmas presents in advance or will place orders online to take advantage of discounts and avoid the crowds in shops.
Based on the findings from the Reveal Marketing Research survey, Romanians are anticipating the holidays with increased positive sentiments this year (73%), up from 64% last year. The predominant emotions associated with the holidays are happiness/joy (26%), feeling good (16%), and contentment (12%).
While positive emotions prevail, there is a notable decline in excitement from 17% in 2022 to only 6% this year. This shift is attributed to Romanians experiencing their first Christmas without restrictions last year.
On the flip side, negative thoughts persist for 22% of Romanians, with indifference (7%) and sadness or stress (7%) being the most commonly mentioned.
The majority of Romanians (56%) plan to spend Christmas at home, while 39% intend to visit loved ones. Those over 55 years old (72%) and individuals with a low income below 2000 RON (73%) lean towards spending the holidays at home.
In terms of holiday spending, 50% expect a similar budget, 38% anticipate a lower budget, and only 12% plan for a higher budget compared to last year. Food and drink account for 32% of the holiday budget, gifts for 28%, and decorations and festive atmosphere for 11%. Notably, 11% of the budget is allocated to an unexpected expense fund.
Romanians are more frugal in managing their holiday spending this year, with 64% reducing spending on decorations, 46% allocating a smaller budget to gifts, and 38% cutting down on food and drink expenses. The average amount Romanians plan to spend on food and drinks (546 RON), gifts (492 RON), and decorations (149 RON) totals 1188 RON, a 12% decrease from 2022.
Regarding Christmas gifts, 35% of Romanians are not particular about what they receive. Clothes are the most desired gifts (30%), especially among those aged 18-34 (37%). Other preferred gifts include jewelry and watches (18%) and personal care products (18%). The majority of respondents (43%) still prefer buying gifts in physical shops rather than online (26%).
It’s worth noting that 20% of respondents made early purchases to take advantage of discounts and avoid crowds this year. Marius Luican, CEO of Reveal Marketing Research, highlights the need for adjustments to shopping baskets due to increased prices over the past year. “Given the increases in prices of products and services over the past year, the 88% of Romanians who say they will allocate a similar or lower budget for the Christmas holidays than in 2022 will have to make adjustments to their shopping basket, as such a budget would not allow them to purchase the same products or maintain the same level of gifts and spending as last year.”