Gift Industry Statistics – Facts & Stats on Personalized Gifts, Wrapping Paper, and Gift Cards

In this Gift Industry Research we looked at longitudinal data with more than 2M data points. Additionally, findings were backed up by a collection of 17,821 survey respondents, who also answered surveys in the years from 2000 and to today. All findings are available for public use.

Please reach out to the Bedbible Research Center, at researchcenter@bedbible.com for access to the full dataset. Make sure to reference any use of the dataset, or the findings presented in this article.

Key Gifting Industry Statistics

• The private gifting industry is worth over $1 trillion globally (expected to grow to $1.7 trillion by 2030) .
• The total US gifting industry is worth $594 billion ($352 billion in private consumer sales, and $242 billion through corporate schemes).
• The US gifting industry is expected to grow to $812 billion by 2030 (+4% CAGR)
• The average US consumer spends $1,334 on gifts each year.
• The global gift card industry is worth $869 billion (expected to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2030).
• The US gift card industry is worth $241 billion.
• The average consumer purchases 3.3 gift cards annually (with an average worth of $51.5).
• Gifting flowers is very popular, with $8.4 billion worth of flower gifts sold each year in the US (42% of the $17 billion flower market).
• Each year $20 million worth of wrapping papers is sold (an estimated 2.3 million pounds ends up in landfills).
• The average buyer spends $832 on Christmas, $175 on Valentine’s Day, $245 on Mother’s Day, $172 on Father’s day, and $180 on Easter gifts.

Private Consumer Gifting Industry – Market Size

• The US private consumer gifting industry is worth $352B in 2022.
• The US private consumer on average spends $1,334 annually on gifts.
• The global private consumer gifting industry is worth $1,102B in 2022.
• The global gifting market for private consumers is expected to grow to $1,690B by 2030.
• The US gifting market for private consumers is expected to grow to $453B by 2030.

Private vs. Corporate gifting industry market size

A large part of the gifting industry is corporate gifting. This market is huge, and a large part of the overall gifting industry.

• 41% of all gifts bought in the US is bought through corporations as part of a corporate gifting scheme.
• 59% of all gifts bought in the US is by private consumers for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.
• The US corporate gifting industry is worth $242 billion.
• The US gifting industry is worth $594 billion.
• The US corporate gifting industry on average grows +4.02% YoY (CAGR), faster than the private gifting industry (+3.84%).
• The US corporate gifting industry ($242 billion) is smaller by two-thirds than the private gifting industry ($352 billion)

Gift card industry

• The gift card industry is worth $869 billion globally.
• The US gift card industry is worth $241 billion.
• The average US consumer spends $51.47 per gift card.
• The average US consumers purchases 3.2 gift cards each year.
• The gift card industry is expected to grow to over $400 billion by 2030.
• The average annual growth of the gift card industry is +11% YoY (CAGR).
• The average number of gift cards purchases per person has almost tripled from 1.1 in 2000 too 3.2 today.
• Spending per gift card has increased from $33.41 per gift card in 2000 too $51.47 today (a +54% increase).

Personalized gifting industry

• The global personalized gifting industry is worth $32.01B.
• The US personalized gifting industry is worth $9.53B.
• The average annual growth in the personalized gifting industry is +7% (CAGR).
• The personalized gifting industry makes up 1.6% of the total US gifting industry, and 2.7% of the private gifting industry.
• The personalized gifting industry is growing at almost twice the speed of the overall gifting industry.
• Personalized gifting is expected to reach sales of $53.08 billion globally by 2030
• In the US the personalized gifting industry is expected to reach $15.14 by 2030.

Floral gift

Drawing on our analysis of the total Flower industry market we found that:

• The total US flower market is worth $16.98 billion.
• The floral gifting market is worth $8.36 billion in the US.
• In other words, 42.2% of the total sales in the flower industry is for gifting purposes. Other areas include served by the flower industry include gardening, weddings, anniversaries, or funerals.

Gift Wrapping Paper Industry Statistics

Wrapping paper is a large part of the total US $594 billion gifting industry (0.003% of the total industry).

• $20.33 million worth of wrapping paper are sold and used each year in the US.
• 2.31 million pounds of wrapping paper are sold and used each year in the US.

Special Events and Holiday Gift Industry

In the following sections we reveal all the findings from the dataset on gift purchasing around holidays and special events.

When asking people, what occasions warrant a gift they answer the following:

• 88% believe that birthdays warrant gifts.
• 80% believe that weddings warrant a gift.
• 80% believe that holidays such as Christmas warrant gifts.
• 63% believe that anniversaries warrant a gift.
• 60% believe that High School Graduations warrant gifts.
• 60% believe that Valentines Day warrant a gift.

Christmas gifting statistics

• On average people spend $832 for Christmas gifts and decorations.
• US retail sales increased by +14% In November and December (2022) from the previous year (2021).

When people report, what they want to spend, they answer:

• 31% report to want to spend between $100-300 on Christmas gifts.
• 29% report to want to spend less than $100 on Christmas gifts.
• 33% report to want to spend between $300-1000 on Christmas gifts.
• 7% report to want to spend more than $1000 on Christmas gifts.

Unsurprisingly, the holiday shopping often comes a little late for some, while others are weeks in advance.

• 32% report to have bought all presents before the 18th of December.
• 1% buy all their Christmas presents on the 25th of December.
• 61% of customers report to start buying Christmas presents in November.

When asked, how respondents found out what to buy, we saw that:

• 46% of respondents reported that social media played a role in what gifts they bought.
• 38% reported to be looking at and finding inspiration in store displays.
• 36% used the retailers websites to decide on what gifts to purchase.
• 28% picked up holiday flyers and catalogs to choose gifts to buy.
• 28% decided on gifts based on the best sales during Black Friday.
• 17% used print or web guides on e.g. “the best gifts” to decide on what to buy for Christmas.

Valentine’s Day Gift Industry Statistics

• On average, people who buy Valentine’s Day Gifts plan to spend on average $175
• The most popular gifts for Valentine’s Day is Candy (56% gift it), greeting cards (40%), flowers (37%), experiences (31%), and jewelry (22%).

The total spending for Valentine’s Day is tremendous:

• Valentine’s Day Spending have reached $26 billion in the US.

If we look at what those $26 billion was spend on, we find that

• 1.6 billion is spent on gifting Valentine’s Day candy.
• 9.6 billion is spent on gifting Valentine’s Day flowers.
• 8.1 billion is spent on gifting experiences on Valentine’s Day.
• 5.2 billion is spent on gifting jewelry for Valentine’s Day.

Mother’s Day Gifting Industry Statistics

• Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach $32 billion – an increase of 14% from the last Mother’s Day.
• 84% of people report that they celebrate Mother’s Day.
• The average person spends $245 on Mother’s Day.
• Over 80% of mothers report that they would prefer experiences as gifts.
• 39% of gift givers are considering giving subscriptions for Mother’s Day.
• 90% of consumers anticipate that they will buy a gift for Mother’s Day.
• 41% of consumers have joined a loyalty program for Mother’s Day.
• 74% of shoppers buy the Mother’s Day present within a month of the date (May 14).
• The most popular Mother’s Day gift is flowers (53% buy flowers), followed by greeting cards (38%), jewelry (28%). , clothing and accessories (23%), and experiences (22%).
  • So, while 80% of mothers prefer experiences as gifts, it is in fact the least popular gift type purchases on Mother’s Day.
• 68% shop for their actual mother, while 28% shop for their mother-in-law, 14% for their sister, 12% for their daughter, and 11% for their grandmother.
• Only 15% of consumers say that they consider finding an affordable present the top priority.
• 1 in 3 mothers wish for a ‘day off’ as mothers for Mother’s Day.

Father’s Day Gifting Industry Statistics

• Over $20 billion is spent on Father’s Day gifting.
• Consumers plan to spend $172 for Father’s Day.
• 77% of men plan to celebrate Father’s day, while only 75% of women plan to do the same (in comparison, 80% plan to celebrate Mother’s Day).
• 72 million greeting cards are sold each year for Father’s Day.
• 1 in 4 gifted Father’s Day cards have humor in them (typically dad-jokes).
• 91% of fathers prefer experiences as gifts for Father’s Day.
• Neckties is the #1 most popular Father’s Day gift.
• Father’s Day was signed into law in 1972, and became an official national holiday.

Easter Gifting Statistics

• More than $21 billion is spent annually on Easter celebrations and gifts.
• The average consumer spends $180 on Easter gifts and celebrations, more than on Valentine’s Day ($175), and Father’s Day ($174).
• 80% of consumers celebrate Easter.
• 16% plan on opening gifts together for Easter.
• 90% buy some type of candy for Easter.
• 64% buy toys as a gift for Easter.
• 37% buy Easter Eggs as gifts for the Holiday.

Trends

Throughout our analysis, some obvious patterns emerged on different trends on how consumers decide on what gifts to give, what drives their decision about gifts, and about the gifts themselves.

Gift cards are becoming increasingly

Gift cards are a convenient and popular choice for many people, especially when they are unsure of what to buy. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, gift cards are the most requested gift item for the 14th year in a row.

Personalized gifts are on the rise

Personalized gifts, such as monogrammed items or customized jewelry, are becoming increasingly popular. According to a survey by Deloitte, 36% of consumers plan to give personalized gifts during the holiday season.

Social media influences gift-giving

Social media has a big impact on gift-giving trends, as people often turn to social media for inspiration and ideas. According to a survey by National Today, 36% of people say they use social media to find gift ideas.

Sustainability is becoming more important

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor in gift-giving, as people become more aware of the impact their consumption has on the environment. According to a survey by Accenture, 60% of consumers would like to receive more sustainable gifts.

The pandemic has impacted gift-giving habits

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on gift-giving habits, as many people have had to shift their gift-giving strategies due to social distancing and remote work. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, 47% of consumers plan to do more of their holiday shopping online this year. Covid-19 also brought with it a big spike in the interest for personalized gifts. Now that people could not meet up it became increasingly more important for the gift giver to be personal through the gift itself.

Consumers value practicality over desirability

With the growing awareness on sustainability and minimalism consumers and gift givers decide on what to buy often based on what is actually needed. They less frequently want to give gifts that adds to more consumerism. The same goes for the gift receiver, more often gift wishes will focus on either practicality or experiences.

Gifting outside events

Albeit holiday gifting, Christmas especially, is by far the most popular gifting occasion we have seen an increase in the amount of “just because” gifts. In other words, gifting without any special occasion. It can be hard to explain why this is becoming a trend as of recently, but one explanation could be that people value the emotional aspect of giving more so than the materialistic value of purchasing something for yourself.

Consumers buy gifts in advance

More prevalent than ever, consumers tend to decide on and buy gifts longer time in advance. Due to multiple occasions of global supply chain issues and the scare of not being able to get gifts, consumers have shifted towards purchasing earlier and earlier.

The Rise of Intimate Gifts: Elevating Romance and Connection

The gift industry has seen a significant shift in recent years, with more individuals opting for intimate and personal presents. These gifts not only enhance physical pleasure but also strengthen emotional bonds between partners. Here’s a closer look at some popular choices:

For Her: Sensual Surprises

For the special woman in your life, consider sexy gifts for her. From the classic vibrator to the dual-action rabbit vibrator and the discreet bullet vibrator, there’s something to suit every preference.

For Him: Pleasure Unleashed

Men too can enjoy the thrill of intimate gifts. Dive into the world of sexy gifts for him with options like male masturbators, cock rings, and penis pumps.

For Couples: Deepening the Bond

Strengthen your connection with sex gifts for relationships. Explore shared sensations with remote control vibrators, vibrating panties, and best couples sex toys.

Exploring New Sensations

For those looking to venture into new territories, consider gifting sex machines, sex swings, or even bdsm restraints for a touch of kink.

Reviews and Insights

Before making a purchase, it’s always a good idea to do some research. Check out OMGYes review and Dipsea review for honest insights into some popular intimate products.

In conclusion, as the gift industry evolves, intimate presents are becoming a popular choice for many. They offer a unique way to express love, affection, and understanding, ensuring memorable moments for both the giver and the receiver.