It’s officially less than 100 days until Christmas. Are you already hitting the shops for some bargains before the Christmas rush or are you more likely to wait until last minute? I spoke to Rakuten’s Shopping and Trend Expert, Alexandra Stedman, to find out gift trends for Christmas 2024.
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00:00Everyone's budgeting and everyone's trying to save and start early so that they're not
00:06panicked in the last minute. But also there's something called FOSO that they've discovered.
00:11So we know about FOMO, which is a fear of missing out. This is the fear of selling out.
00:16Well, I actually think it's usually determined by social media. So I work in social media
00:24and I always notice that there's certain things. I suppose if lots of influencers are talking
00:29about this one product that's amazing, or maybe there's been a bit more marketing behind
00:33a specific item, then something that could have been in stock for the last few years
00:39could become a viral item that sells out.
00:43It's been reported that going directly to websites of brands and retailers people like
00:47most is the most popular way for Brits to start Christmas shopping. But it seems that
00:52items that shoppers are most worried about selling out include decorations, the latest
00:57tech products, particular advent calendars and this Christmas's must have toys.
01:02There's the obvious candidates like beauty calendars. Certain ones are considered the
01:07higher, the holy grail of calendars. But then there's also things like the latest game,
01:14the latest toys. I do gift guides on my site and I find that often really chic pyjamas
01:20or something that's affordable, chic and practical. I think that's the kind of holy grail of Christmas
01:27presents.
01:28I start early because of budgeting reasons. And I know a lot of people do and a lot of
01:33people are really more just conscious about their spending and just talking about money
01:38more, which is always good. And people are understanding the importance of having a budget
01:42and not overspending. I think you have to then limit yourself because it's easy to forget
01:49that you bought someone something and then see something in the shop and buy it again.
01:52So I think it's always good to just come back to what have I got? What do I need?