One in 7 Europeans is dissatisfied with the gift they received
If you are Romanian, you probably know this saying - "you can't look a gift horse in the teeth". It's that saying that instantly shuts the mouth of any person who has received an unwanted gift. But what if you yourself have received an unwanted gift? Do you go ahead with it or do you think about it? Are you looking for suitable, perfect and ideal gift ideas and secure a place in the league of the magnificent 6 who only buy inspired gifts? Or do you buy a cheap gift, by chance?
According to a survey by Dutch bank ING, one in seven Europeans (15%) are unhappy with the gifts they received , while 10% of them couldn't even remember what they received. (Say what! That's really bad!)
62% of Americans expect to receive an unwanted gift this year – the equivalent of 154 million people receiving gifts worth over $15 billion – half of which will be given away or returned. Over $15,000,000,000 wasted on horses that don't look in the mouth? Hmmm, what if that money was spent on inspired gift wrapping? Wonder gifts, with unicorn dust on them? :))
So, when you decide to buy a gift from now on, think about the information above. The one in bold! Don't pretend you don't see it. Come on, just don't start stressing, right? There's really no pressure! Maybe you're lucky! Maybe you'll join the category of the 6 magnificent people who buy inspired gifts. It all starts with the perfect question: what perfect gift do I choose for a man? What do I buy my mother for March 8? How do I choose the ideal gift for my girlfriend? What gift is suitable for teachers? What gift do I get my boss for his birthday? What gift ideas do I have? That doesn't really work. It's clear that you don't have any gift ideas if you're on this page, right?
But let's get back to the numbers :)
What do people do with unwanted gifts?
Most people chose to politely keep gifts they didn't like - 23.20%. 22.50% of Europeans chose to pass on gifts they didn't like, 21.87% chose to donate their gifts, 14% chose to sell the gift they received, and 6.13% simply threw it away. There is also a separate category of those who decided to return the unwanted gift to the person who gave it - almost 5% of Europeans (a popular custom among the British and the Dutch).
Who buys the most UNinspired gifts?
Friends. Yes, those people who supposedly know you best and know what gift you want, that's why they're called friends - they get the first prize for the most uninspired gifts. It was found that almost one in three unwanted gifts are given by friends (30.63%). In second place are parents (13.92%), and in third - in-laws (11.31%). In-laws forgive, because you want peace in the house!
Even though life partners didn't make the podium of this ranking, one in 10 people accuse their significant other of buying uninspired gifts (9.87%). Next in line are their own children (7.00%) - the children are also forgiven, as they haven't received pocket money for at least a month - and your boss (4.64%), who buys you the same gift basket with everything every year - maybe someone will tell him too that it's the most uninspired gift ever.
Women are more demanding than men when it comes to gifts
No offense. That's not our conclusion. That's what the studies said, with 54.77% of women saying they've received an unwanted gift, compared to 46.41% of men. On average, unwanted gifts were more expensive for men than for women - £38.69 for women, compared to £45.58 for men.
To support what is written above, we cite an empirical study, conducted by our colleague Andreea, in collaboration with the Google search engine. This study says that people search on Google for the phrases “luxury gifts for men” and “cheap gifts for women” . Again, no offense ladies! The uninspired expression belongs to men, even more uninspired, who have no idea what you like and what to buy you as a gift. We just mentioned it here.
Men are much more likely to give gifts back (7.81%, compared to 2.24% for women), as well as to throw them away (8.68%, compared to 4.15% for women). Women are more likely to donate them (26.37%) compared to men (16.06%).
Men are more likely to deliberately buy an unwanted gift - 11.55% of all men have done so, compared to 7.16% of women. Ouch! That really hurts! Gentlemen, if you've had the patience to read this far, review your behavior! You've done it twice already. The third time, sleep on the press :))
In terms of unwanted gift types, men are more likely to not want music (9.03%, compared to 4.09% of women), while women are more likely to not want household items (13.57%, compared to 9.26% of men). To further break the stereotype, women are more likely to be unhappy with cosmetic and perfume gifts, as tastes are not up for debate (23.26%, compared to 11.57%).
Millennials are the most dissatisfied generation with the gifts they receive
Millennials seem to be the hardest generation to please - nearly three-quarters (71.06%) of them say they've received a gift they didn't like. They're followed by Gen Xers (54.72%) and baby boomers (40.81%).
Millennials are the most likely to return a gift (9.61%), followed by Gen Xers (4.83%), and then baby boomers (0.94%). They are also the most likely to throw away a gift (10.39%), compared to Gen Xers (6.33%) and baby boomers (2.81%).
Millennials seem to be the most obnoxious when it comes to gifts. They are picky when it comes to receiving gifts and are also the ones who knowingly give someone an unwanted gift (21.86%).
How do Romanians react when they receive unwanted gifts*
*the thoughts below stem from popular wisdom, they are not based on any kind of study
Most of the time, people prefer to hide their true feelings. They try to be as excited as possible, so as not to hurt the feelings of the person giving the gift. This is when they say, usually in a tone two octaves higher, “But you really shouldn’t have bothered!” Translation: “what were you thinking when you bought this for ME??”
The second step is to apologize to the giver, saying that he was also tired and a little uninspired. And here we come up with a popular saying - "the intention counts". Translation: "This gift is so damn boring! Couldn't you have found something more inspiring to spend your money on?".
Step three - resignation. The deed is done, the gift is filed away in a closet with the label "it might be useful one day."
How do you choose the right gift?
If you want to move into the league of the magnificent 6 when it comes to choosing perfect gifts, this is where you should start taking notes.
Rule 1: Forget the WOW gift
The results of studies on the psychology of consumers who purchase gifts have shown that, when giving gifts, people tend to choose objects that they expect to trigger the WOW FACTOR = the greatest immediate emotional reaction from the recipient (a big smile, a moan of delight, a hug, an olive, attention to the person giving the gift).
But when they are the ones receiving a gift, people forget about the all-important WOW factor and prefer to receive gifts that will bring them greater satisfaction in the long run.
So studies say that we are more likely to choose gifts that satisfy our own need to be rewarded immediately, rather than gifts that actually benefit and bring joy to the person receiving them.
Rule 2: Check this list of what not to give as a gift
Studies cited by finder.com say that people become dissatisfied when they receive:
- clothing and accessories 25.03%
- 18.59% “other” category - toiletries or gift certificates/vouchers
- cosmetics and perfumes 17.63%
- household items 11.49%
- food and/or beverages 8.07%
- literature 7.47%
- music 6.47%
- technology 5.24%.
Rule 3: Read the list above again of what not to give as a gift.
If you are confused, see below what to give as a gift:
If you're not sure what gift to buy for someone you love, choose gift books or gift packages with books :), technology or music! Being the last in the ranking above, there's a pretty good chance they'll fall into the category of perfect gifts, ideal gifts and priceless gift surprises.
Rule 4: The ideal gift takes into account the values and personality of the person receiving it
To implement this rule, you need a sheet of paper and a pencil. Okay, a pen if you don't have a pencil. Write the following questions on it:
Who do I want to buy a gift for?
Is it a gift for my boss, who I don't know much about, or is it a Secret Santa gift for my colleagues? Is it a gift for my mom, for March 8th? Is it a gift for my dad for his birthday? Is it a sexy gift, that says those words with the asterisk, like F*uck? The kind of gift for your wife, mistress, or a "best friend" you have sex with occasionally?
On what occasion am I giving this gift?
Is it a wedding anniversary gift, a birthday gift, a retirement gift? Is it a Christmas gift? Maybe it's a surprise gift, for no good reason, just like that, out of appreciation, because it's still fashionable.
What does the person who will receive the gift like? Don't know? Let's ask yourself another question: what does he do in his free time? What does he bring to the office? What does he eat during his lunch break? What music does he listen to? The answer to these questions will also reveal some values or qualities that will be useful to you.
Rule 5: The perfect gift is more than an object - it's an experience in itself
It delights all your senses, because it comes in a box, neither too big nor too small, smells nice, sings and is full of beautiful, useful and fun things, that you will not get bored of and you will not be delighted in vain. It is not an expensive gift, it has premium products in it, carefully selected and it is the right gift for any occasion. It is a WONDER GIFT box ! Leave that girl amazed! We know you can't believe it, but these gifts really exist on wonderstore.ro and delight hundreds of people every day. Click on the link if you don't believe us!
