Romanians to spend 13 pct more money this year for the winter holidays 

   Romanians will spend 13% more money for this year's winter holidays, but the increase does not necessarily reflect higher consumption, but rather the coverage of inflation, shows a study carried out by Reveal Marketing Research."In the context of rising prices and the cost of living in the last year, the average amount Romanians estimate they will spend on holidays increased by 13% compared to the end of last year, from 1.188 RON to 1.340 RON," according to the study.Romanians estimate that this year's holiday budget will be similar (53%) or lower (34%) than last year. Women differ from men in a more cautious approach, mentioning a smaller budget than last year (37% compared to 31% for men). Only 12% are mentioning a larger budget, with significantly more respondents in the 44-55 age group (25%).Regarding the organization of expenses, as a percentage, 33% of the budget allocated for the holidays will go to food and drinks, 25% to gifts and 10% to decorations and festive atmosphere. In addition, 13% of this year's budget is earmarked for an unexpected expenses fund."Similar to last year's winter holidays, more than half of Romanians (61%) say they will reduce spending on decorations and festive atmosphere, while 47% intend to allocate a smaller budget to gifts and 36% will reduce the amount spent on food and beverages," the Reveal Marketing Research study reveals.The most desired Christmas gifts this year are personal care products (23%), clothes (20%) and household items (14%)Exchanging gifts is an important Christmas tradition, and most Romanians (31%) are not too picky, saying it doesn't matter what presents they receive. Personal care products are the most popular gifts (23%), especially among young people aged 18-34 (37%), while clothes (20%) and gifts for the home (14%) complete the list of favorites.Romanians still choose to buy their Christmas presents in physical stores (50%) rather than online (22%), and 22% of respondents bought their presents early to take advantage of discounts and avoid crowds.According to the survey results, Romanians have predominantly positive feelings in anticipation of the winter holidays (68%). The most frequently mentioned emotions that the holidays arouse are happiness/joy (18%), feeling good (14%) and feeling thankful (10%).On the other hand, 29% of Romanians have negative thoughts this year, too, an increase of 7% compared to last year (22%). The main negative feelings on the eve of the holidays are indifference (8%), sadness or stress (6%) and melancholy (6%).Again this year, the majority of Romanians will spend the Christmas holidays at home only with people who live in the same household (53%) or visiting loved ones (40%). Of those who choose to go on a visit, 32% will spend the holidays with family and 8% with friends. A closer look reveals that 85% of Romanians will spend the winter holidays in their place of residence,shows the study."The inflation of 5.1% recorded in November 2024 compared to last year explains both the increase in the budget allocated to holidays and the increased caution of Romanians in managing their spending during this period. However, despite the financial worries, the desire to celebrate the holidays traditionally and with loved ones remains strongly rooted," says Marius Luican, CEO of Reveal Marketing Research.The study was conducted online from December 6 to December 12, 2024 on a representative sample for the range of people aged 18+, urban and rural internet users. The sample size was 1017 respondents and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level.Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development, with expertise in over 20 industries.  (Photo:https://www.pmb.ro/)