Aussies will spend $491 on average on Christmas gift, with many unwanted

Aussies are tipped to spend billions ahead of Christmas – and make a costly mistake in the process. See why and how to avoid it.

Aussies are set to spend $491 on average on Christmas gifts this year, but many presents may go unwanted, according to digital gift card company Prezzee.

New data shows that despite Australians spending an average of 6.3 hours shopping for gifts each Christmas more than half (53 per cent) still receive unwanted gifts, while more than a third (35 per cent) have regifted their unwanted gifts.

 Gift cards are emerging as a popular choice this year.

Food, wine, and dining gift cards were the second fastest-growing category over the past 12 months, surging 79.5 per cent, while technology gift cards grew 76.5 per cent, Prezzee data revealed.

Milly Rose said half of her Christmas spending would be on gift cards. Picture: Supplied

Out of 1500 Aussies, more than two in five (43 per cent) want gift cards for Christmas, according to latest figures from global data company, Pureprofile.

The trend comes as Aussies are tipped to splurge $72.4 billion from November 13 to Christmas Eve, a 4 per cent increase on 2024, according to the Australia Retailers Association.

Milly Rose Bannister said she was on track to spent about $1500 on Christmas gifts this year – $600 in presents for her employees and the rest on family and friends.

Of the total, half would be splurged on gift cards for her staff, the 28-year-old mental health charity director said.

“There’s so many things to think about when trying to get the perfect gift which is why so many get it wrong because they default to what they think is safe to lessen the mental load,” Ms Bannister said.

“Gift cards enable you to pick your own adventure and it respects the individuality of the person you’re buying a gift for.”

She said gift cards ‘lessen the mental load.’ Picture: Supplied

When finding the right gift, some 54 per cent of Aussies found the biggest challenge was working out the receiver’s personal preference, Prezzee data revealed.

Meanwhile, 52 per cent struggled with a lack of fresh ideas, 43 per cent found it difficult to stick to budget, and nearly one in ten (8 per cent) admitted to no longer buying gifts for the festive period.

“There’s a lot of anxiety for people in choosing the right gift,” Ms Bannister said.

“In buying a gift for someone you want to let them know that I see you, I hear you and I get who you are and then you don’t want to underdo it, or overdo it.”

Three in five Australians claim they’d be upset to hear a gift they’d given has been regifted, Prezzee data showed. Picture: iStock

Three in five Australians (56 per cent) claim they’d be upset to hear a gift they’d given has been regifted, Prezzee data also showed.

Last year, Aussies regifted on average about $297 worth of presents, totalling $1.3 billion, Finder data revealed.

In addition to gift cards which give people the “freedom of choice”, Ms Bannister said “meaningful” presents were a “solid option”

“There’s no waste with gift cards, especially if you can add a custom message or a personalised experience or a video, then it becomes even more meaningful,” Ms Bannister said.

“The older I’ve gotten the more I’ve realised it’s not about the dollar value or the brand logo, it’s about the thoughtfulness.”

Originally published as Aussies will spend $491 on average on Christmas gift, with many unwanted