The Christmas season is perhaps the most awaited time of the year for people all around the world. Given the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had globally, this year, Christmas in the United States is all set to be very different from what it has been so far. Here are some interesting statistics on Christmas spending in the USA in 2021.
Parents will spend $276 on every child
According to data, it seems like parents are planning on splashing the cash on their kids this Christmas. Parents want to spend an average of $276 per child this year on Christmas gifts. This is quite the step-up from the 17% of American parents who were willing to spend more than $200 per child for Christmas in 2020.
Americans will spend more than they have in 20 years
This year, Americans are planning to spend a whopping $886 per person on average on buying gifts for the Christmas season. This is a whole lot more than the average spend that Americans have done in the past two decades. About 56% of shoppers will be doing most of their shopping online. This is expected given that the pandemic has driven more people to transact online than ever before.
One-fifth of Americans will be spending less on Christmas gifts
Even if the average American is planning on spending more than they did in the past twenty years, about 21% of Americans are going to be spending less on Christmas gifts this year compared to last year. Only 13% are planning on spending more than they did in 2020, while 48% of Americans will be spending the same as last year.
More Americans are hoping to stick to their budget
In 2019, more than half the US population, about 56%, set budgets for their Christmas shopping. However, only 64% of them actually stayed within their spending limits. Those who stayed within their budgets spent about $878 per person on average.
In fact, almost 30% of shoppers who did not make budgets spent way more than they originally intended to, averaging more than $992 per person. More Americans will be hoping to create budgets and stick to them this year.
Americans spend over $6 billion on Christmas trees
Christmas 2021 is expected to see Americans spending about $6.1 billion on Christmas trees alone. Just under 47% of Americans will buy trees again this year. On average, every American household is expected to spend about $118 for an artificial tree and $83 for a real tree.
Increase in holiday spending
In 2020, even though the pandemic brought global businesses to almost a standstill, Christmas season spending saw an increase of 8.3% when compared to the same period in 2019. According to projections this year, holiday sales will be higher than that of the 2020s by 7.4%. The holiday season sales in the U.S. in 2020 totaled $789.4 billion.
Americans don’t want clothes and household items as gifts
Surveys taken in the past show that Americans least prefer getting household items and clothes as presents. So, if you’re looking to do some serious Christmas shopping this year, you might want to keep this in mind. That said, about 61% of the country expects to get gifts they don’t like. The value of unwanted gifts is around $15 billion. The safest gifts include food and drinks.
Gift cards are in high demand
One of the best ways to make someone’s Christmas special is to give them a gift card. This year alone, Americans will spend more than $28 billion on gift cards for the holiday season. These are highly useful presents that people can use to buy the items they want the most. That rounds up our statistics on Christmas spending in 2021.
