“For us, this trend continues to grow. Year after year it progresses in certain categories such as toys, games, jewelry or even technical products and even fashion,” attacks Amandine de Souza, CEO of the Leboncoin website. And back up your words with numbers: “In 2022, demand for consumer goods increased by 32% compared to 2021 and by 120% compared to 2019. In particular, last year we achieved record traffic in Christmas shopping categories. place on the first weekend of December. For example, on December 4, 2022 alone, it was about +40% compared to last year. All this proves that there is a real craze for second-hand gifts.”
A reality that also takes shape in the study “The French and the year-end holiday budget” published last month by OpinionWay for Sofinco*. “Inflation, which appears to be stabilizing, is still weighing heavily on households and will inevitably have an impact on Christmas gift giving again this year,” admits Jesse Marius, the institute’s research director. Today, the French are experiencing real restrictions and choices when it comes to end-of-year shopping. They no longer give gifts to as many people, and some even refuse invitations to avoid giving them. Ultimately, everyone is looking for alternative solutions using second-hand goods, as well as food from cheaper products, all using payment systems. People make a real effort to stay within the boundaries they set for themselves. »
Average budget 345 euros.
Thus, inflation forces 66% of respondents to reduce their vacation budget. But at the same time, 64% do not want to limit themselves. This is a bit paradoxical. “Because the French want to celebrate Christmas, they anticipate expenses in advance. Black Friday has become indispensable for shopping with promotions and at a lower price. Moreover, 35% even save the entire year for this period,” explains the survey specialist.
The study estimates the average budget allocated for gifts this year at 345 euros, which is 21 euros less than last year, but with large differences depending on the income of those surveyed, of course. Households with an income of more than 3,500 euros per month will spend 517 euros, people aged 65 and over will spend 478 euros, the French with children will spend 363 euros, families with incomes under 2,000 euros will spend around 215 euros, and those aged 18 to 24 will spend another 164 Euro.
“Everything is good for financing your purchases during this period. The French use their income as well as their savings, vouchers or gift certificates, and now even pay in installments or deferred payments,” notes Jesse Marius. A trend that Leboncoin is still relatively little aware of.
“We offer services for purchases between €150 and €2,000, but this remains a weak part of our transactions as our baskets are often lower,” continues Amandine De Souza. On the other hand, yes, there is a real tension around purchasing power, and as a result we want to buy differently, more responsibly. Thus, the Games family has the strongest seasonality at Christmas. 29.5% of annual demand is concentrated in November and December. Electronics also represents a significant portion of volume demand. This is the first category to be consulted during the last two months of 2021 and 2022. Finally, fashion is also a trend that stands out among other families. On our website you can easily buy an outfit just for the holiday. From now on, we really no longer hesitate to give a good second-hand gift to our loved ones, the people we love. »
The e-commerce site has seen an explosion in other areas in recent years as well. So there are now 150,000 advertisements for Christmas decorations, up from 25,000 three years ago.
Sometimes it’s useful
According to the study, games and toys are in first place for 48% of respondents, ahead of clothing (43%) and books and comics (41%). Far behind we find accessories such as bags or scarves (28%), jewelry (23%) or other cultural products such as CDs or vinyls (23%), or even jewelry and high-tech products (22%).
“Cases are established both in habits and in exceptional events. Previously, second-hand goods were produced for personal purchases. Today this is not only offered, but also demanded of us. New is less sacred among a whole segment of the population who are aware that they can please or treat themselves with products that would cost more than new ones. This trend is especially pronounced among people under 35 years of age. Every second of them makes such gifts. And this does not stop us from pampering our children, who are always at the center of our concerns. Moreover, the other mechanism is used and… a useful gift. Parents are increasingly wondering What does my or your child need? before going Christmas shopping,” concludes the head teacher.
*The survey was conducted among a sample of 1,013 people, representative of the French population aged 18 years and over, using the quota method on October 4 and 5, 2023.
Source: Le Parisien
I am John Casanova. I am an author at 24 news recorder and mostly cover economy news. I have a great interest in the stock market and have been writing about it for many years. I am also interested in real estate and have written several articles on the subject. I am a very experienced investor and have a lot of knowledge to share with others.
