Like every year, millions of Italians have already spent or are about to spend a good part of their savings in view of Christmas. Looking at the situation at a European level, only Spanish and English families spend more than Italian ones, as reported in the latest report Deloitte Xmas Survey involving approximately 7 thousand people from 8 different countries of the European Union. With an average expenditure in Europe of 461 euros, Italians spend 549 euros per family, a figure that has increased by 1,5% compared to last year. The nation where the most is spent on Christmas gifts is the United Kingdom, with a figure that reaches 639 euros, while Spain is in second place with 554 euros. E-commerce sites represent an increasingly popular channel for purchasing products to wrap under the Christmas tree (+5% compared to 2018 in Italy), even if offline channels still remain in the lead (preferred by 3 out of 4 Italians). Contrary to what you might believe, only one in five Italian families relies on last minute gifts. But it is not only for gifts that people spend because even the shopping cart requires a dedicated investment to be able to satisfy the palate during Christmas lunches and dinners.
Spending on gifts
It is estimated that each Italian will spend an average of 322 euros on Christmas presents. Of this amount, 40% will be for a Christmas present for their partner, 37% for their children and 23% for their parents. On average, therefore, each Italian will spend around 176 euros for the person they consider most important. These numbers are reported in the study carried out by the Compass Observatory of the Mediobanca Group. The amount of 322 euros is the result of an average that foresees a spending for 46% of Italians of no more than 250 euros. About a third (26%) will instead spend 500 euros, while another 9% will manage to allocate a budget between 500 and 750 euros for Christmas presents. Finally, a small 4% will spend up to 1.000 euros and there will also be those who will exceed the threshold of 1.000 euros (2%). In order to cover these expenses, the path often taken, in the absence of substantial savings, is to request small sums of money on loan. also taking advantage of online opportunities. Among the most requested gift items, clothing tops the list, accounting for nearly 46% of gifts. Books are also continuing to go strong this year (23%), while personal care products will be at the lowest step of the podium (20%). Children's toys (18%) and food products (17%) are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Spending on food
All 'food and wine has always had a prominent place in Italy: in fact, many people focus on food during the Christmas holidays. According to a recent study conducted by Coldiretti, each Italian family in 2019 will spend an average of around 140 euros on Christmas tableware and food. Italians spend more than other families in Europe, where the average expenditure is around 130 euros. Furthermore, more and more people are shopping sustainably. As many as 78% of Italians care about environmental sustainability and buy essential food products. According to the recent study According to Morning Consult and IBM, 36% of Italians embrace sustainability for health reasons, while 23% intend to give a concrete hand to the well-being of animals destined to end up on the table during Christmas lunch or New Year's Eve dinner.
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