Over a quarter of Brits want clothes for Christmas but cash remains king

Over a quarter (28%) of UK consumers want clothes for Christmas, while over a third (34%) want to receive money or gift cards.

That’s according to the latest date from the BRC-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor, which also revealed that 10% of people would be happy to receive nothing, though only 5% felt this was an appropriate ‘gift’ to others. That sentiment was most keenly felt among Gen X and Boomers, while only 2% of Gen Z felt it appropriate to give or receive nothing.

Gen Z were also the most likely to want clothing (41%), while all other generations’ most wanted gift was money or gift cards.

When looking at what gifts people were likely to give to others, sweet treats topped the list at 37%, money and gift cards came second at 36%, then clothing (31%), alcohol (24%) and homeware and jewellery (both 22%).

Women are most likely to give sweets and chocolate (45%), while men prefer to give money or gift cards (31%).

Meanwhile, people in London are almost twice as likely to want technology items as the rest of the country (29% versus 15% overall).

Harvir Dhillon, Economist at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “Every year consumers are faced with more choice than ever before, so it’s little surprise that many people find money and gift cards the most convenient choice for giving and receiving.”