According to the results of the survey conducted by Colliers among consumers from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, respondents indicated that they would spend less or the same amount of money on food and gifts (50% and 74%, respectively) when compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019. Thanks to high inflation, the money will not stretch quite as far as in previous years. The survey also showed an increased awareness of the problem of food waste - reducing the amount of groceries bought for this reason was declared by Hungarians (24%), Poles (18%) and Romanians (16%).
Festive gifts winners
Among all respondents, the most popular festive gifts are cosmetics (54%), toys (49%), and multimedia products (46%). Cosmetics are the most popular in Bulgaria (67%), Poland (63%), and Hungary, along with jewellery (50% each).
In most countries, multimedia products are purchased by 30%-60% of respondents, except in Romania where only 16% of the respondents declared buying products from this category. As expected, toys are very popular in all surveyed countries - a choice of 45% to 58%.
In Romanian homes, unlike in other countries, products from the fashion and footwear categories are the most common under the evergreen tree (66%).
Where do the gifts come from?
Dominika Jędrak, Director, Research and Consultancy Services, for Poland and CEE comments: “The atmosphere of festive shopping can be felt not only in shopping malls but also online. Before the pandemic, respondents most often chose e-commerce shopping (50%) and shopping malls (46%). Compared to 2019, there was an increased interest in small neighbourhood stores. Shopping online, as well as in shopping centres, remained at similar levels this year. Online shopping, whether it was before or after the pandemic, was chosen by about 50% of respondents in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. A large increase in interest in e-commerce since the pandemic was observed in Bulgaria (from 10% to 40% of respondents) and Romania (from 24% to 47% of respondents)”.
Shopping cart 2022
The majority of respondents said they would definitely spend more money on festive food this year than in 2019 (49%), pointing to rising inflation as the main reason. The global increase in the prices of goods and services contributes to a decrease in spending on Festive meals (13% of those surveyed). It is worth mentioning the increased awareness of the problem of food waste - reducing the amount of groceries bought for this reason was declared by Hungarians (24%), Poles (18%) and Romanians (16%).
How much per plate?
Due to ever-increasing inflation and food prices, up to 32% of all respondents do not know how much money they will spend on groceries this holiday. About 30% of those surveyed intend to spend up to €30 per person on festive meals. Bulgarians declared the highest spending, nearly 40% of respondents believe they will spend up to €100 per person. Sumptuous tables will also be found in the Czech Republic, where 15% of respondents declare spending more than €100 per person.
Who will set the table?
95% of respondents, confirmed that the tradition of preparing festive meals by themselves or together with family still reigns in their homes. Only 3% of respondents said that they order festive food from catering companies (the highest in Romania - 7%). A small minority of people go for holidays or to restaurants during the festive season (less than 2% of all respondents).
