TGM Research Global Christmas Survey: More optimism for 2022 with smaller gatherings & less travel this Christmas

Christmas is the most celebrated time of the year worldwide and is the most anticipated time for consumers in the Western hemisphere. The celebration of Christmas and the concept of “togetherness” have changed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. They have also impacted spending power in most households.

The goal of the TGM Global Christmas Consumer Survey is to better understand how retail customers behave during one of the most significant festive weeks in the world. The study aimed to understand and capture the unique behaviour preceding Christmas and its impact.

TGM’s report shares detailed insights from consumers across five continents and how companies and marketers can connect during this season. About 17 countries were included in the survey, with an average country representative sample of 800. Representing more than one billion consumers globally the total sample size was 14,250 and used online market survey panels.

The CEO at TGM Research Greg Laski said: “The Christmas Global Survey 2021 shows that while optimism and the spirit of Christmas have returned, the lingering impact of COVID-19 remains. Those celebrating the Christmas and holiday season have severely reduced travel and limited the size of gatherings and will continue to embrace video conference technology.”

A total of 87 percent of respondents said Christmas is their most awaited season of the year because they get the chance to spend time with family. Gatherings will remain small in 2021, with most people traveling locally by car. Seventy-three percent said that Christmas has been worse during the pandemic. One out of five said restrictions would get in the way of the ideal Christmas celebration.

Most notable findings from the newly released survey: 

• Up to 72 percent of respondents plan to use a video call for celebrating Christmas with family.
• Thirty-two of those surveyed plan to shop online for Christmas.
• Two-thirds of respondents expect 2022 to be better than 2021.
• A total of 55 percent of respondents from North America started preparing for Christmas 3-4 weeks to more than a month early. They are the earliest compared to Europe, Latin America, and the rest of the world.
• Most respondents plan to spend Christmas dinner with their family, regardless of the location, with the other highest categories including cooking together, decorating, and watching movies.
• One in five expect to be impacted by COVID restrictions. Half of those in North America and Europe plan to limit meetings with family and friends due to health risks.
• Three out of four respondents in Latin America and the rest of the world said they would limit meetings.
• The average family meeting size for Christmas was 7.3 people, with a high of 9.8 in Latin America and a low of 5.6 people in Europe.
• Thirty percent of those contacted said they planned on traveling using their vehicle, and six percent plan on traveling internationally for Christmas.
• The biggest increases in spending compared to last year were on food, drinks, and gifts, at 33 percent and 30 percent respectively.
• Ten percent of respondents said they plan to use a loan to finance holiday spending.
• About 48 percent said 2021 was worse than an average year, and 61 percent said that 2022 will be better than 2021.

“The pandemic has caused a lot of changes. However, during this festive season, we gain the opportunity to re-connect and reconsider our priorities globally. We commissioned our TGM Christmas Global Survey to gain a better understanding of how consumers worldwide tackle this new reality and what the prospects are for 2022,” commented Greg Laski on the survey results.

According to the TGM Research findings, there will be some improvement this year with Christmas spending compared to the previous year. However, it is unlikely to bounce back to pre-pandemic trends. The survey provides several key takeaways related to consumer spending this Christmas.

The TGM Christmas Global Survey 2021 complete findings can be found at: https://tgmresearch.com/christmas2021-global-survey.html

—-

Founded in 2017, TGM Research is a data and insights company specialising in online market research. With access to over 4 billion consumers worldwide and our proprietary online market survey panels, TGM helps businesses, academic and education research to identify, connect and engage with the people who matter. We do this by capturing declared first-party data. We help to understand, segment, target and engage with your target audiences globally through research that moves at the speed of culture.