Research commissioned by Applegreen has revealed the most difficult family member to buy for, the most popular time to open Christmas presents, driving and shopping habits and much more.
The research carried out by iReach surveying 1,000 respondents to celebrate the incredible range of seasonal products available in Applegreen stores for the festive season.
The Gift of Giving
As Christmas approaches and thoughts of shopping for loved ones comes to the fore, more than 1 in 4 (26% ) say a partner is the hardest family member to buy a Christmas present for while buying for Fathers is the second hardest (22% ) and when it comes to the last person we think of when buying Christmas presents for, grandparents top the list at 29%!
Christmas is full of traditions and sitting together as a family is one of the most treasured moments of the season. Predictably, more than half (51% ) say opening Christmas presents together as a family is the first thing they do on Christmas morning whereas 14% of respondents open presents on the evening of Christmas eve and 12% have the patience to wait until after their Christmas dinner!
Driving home for Christmas
Almost half of respondents (46% ) will not be travelling for Christmas while for those travelling within Ireland for Christmas, the average distance travelled will be 81.9km. 3% will travel more than 450km (equivalent of driving from Ballybofey, Co. Donegal to Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry ) to see friends and family, almost the length of the island of Ireland, with 5% travelling abroad for the festive season.
When it comes to last-minute shopping on the way home, bread and milk top the list at 40%, you can never have too much at this time of year! More than 1 in 4 (28% ) claim they’re likely to buy a last-minute Christmas present for someone they forgot on the way home! A quarter (25% ) chance their luck, purchasing scratch cards and doing the lotto on the way home.
Strong coffee and plenty of snacks were also among the top-listed items needed for consumers travelling throughout the festive season, as 25% of people said a caffeine hit is vital and nearly 20% wanting sandwiches, rolls and snacks for the journey.
Festive treats
It’s the time of year to indulge in our favourite festive flavours! Minced pies (38% ) were voted the most loved seasonal Christmas treat, followed by Christmas pudding (30% ) with brussels sprouts as the surprise package in third place with 30%.
An upcoming contender in the collection of most loved seasonal treats was a Christmas-flavoured sausage roll, with 14% of respondents eager to taste this seasonal treat, a delicacy now available in Applegreen stores nationwide; a light pastry filled with pork sausage flavoured with herbs and finished with Ballymaloe cranberry.
Christmas Catch-ups Christmas is a time of year that brings people together, and consumers seem keen on making the most of the festive season to see those closest to them. A quarter of respondents said that they will be making a conscious effort this year to visit more friends and family this year after a number of unpredictable years.
More than one in 10 will opt for more sustainable gifting, socialise less and drink less (all 15% ). Enjoying nature and our natural surroundings is a growing interest for people, as one in ten (11% ) of respondents said that they will be spending more time outdoors this year.
Last minute prepping When it comes to leaving jobs to the last minute, cleaning the house (40% ), wrapping presents (39% ) and finalising shopping (24% ) top the list. Interestingly, 1 in 5 (19% ) claim they will get the car washed as a last-minute job when preparing for the Christmas break!
