News

• Millennials are most likely (33%) to value family time over shopping for gifts this festive season
• Aussies plan to spend $100 less on presents this Christmas – nearly 20% less than last year
• 1 in 3 Aussies (33%) say they plan to do a family Kris Kringle, nodding to a trend for quality over quantity of gifts
• PayPal partners with #BuyFromTheBush to launch a new shopping portal featuring rural retailers from drought impacted regions

SYDNEY, 3 December 2019: The festive season is in full swing and between dusting off our decorations and blasting Michael Bublé, many of us have seriously started the Christmas shopping spree to buy our loved ones gifts they’ll treasure.

New PayPal research released today reveals that we’re a selfless bunch when it comes to gift-giving, with almost 9 in 10 of us (87%) saying giving presents is significantly more fulfilling when we know our gift will make a difference - this increases to 91% for younger Aussies under 35 years of age. On the receiving side, more than 2 in 3 Australians (69%) said they love getting Christmas gifts that support a cause they care about, showing that presents with a purpose are high on the wish list this year.

Aussies want presents with a purpose this Christmas

In a sign of the times, rural fire services (46%), Aussie businesses impacted by the drought (44%), mental health (42%) and medical research (38%) are the top causes that Aussies want to support when purchasing gifts this Christmas.

It seems the younger generations are the most altruistic of us all, with 80% of Gen Y Aussies saying they love getting gifts that support a cause they care about, compared to 67% of Gen X and 60% of Baby Boomers.

Our millennials are also the generation which values family time the most, with 1 in 3 (33%) saying they would rather spend more quality time with their loved ones than stress about what gifts to get them, compared to just 1 in 5 (19%) Baby Boomers who feel the same.

PayPal Australia’s Shopping Expert, Danielle Grant said, “It’s clear that this holiday season, Aussies want to give better and support causes that are close to their hearts.  And with our rural communities being hit so hard this year by both devastating drought and fire, it’s these causes that Aussies want to support the most this festive season. 

“That’s why PayPal has partnered with #BuyFromTheBush to create a gifting portal which features a range of homegrown businesses from rural Australia which offer unique and carefully hand-made gifts. We want to help Aussies nail their gift list and support our rural communities by buying from the bush this Christmas.”

Our gift lists are long, but Aussies expect to spend less this year compared to last year

PayPal’s research found that on average, Aussies will purchase ten gifts for their loved ones, spending approximately $494 in total, which is $100 less than the average spend last year ($596).

Ms. Grant said, “This decrease in spending could be the result of a number of factors. The economic downturn has meant that Aussies are tightening spending, so this in turn has led to many of us becoming savvier shoppers, taking full advantage of big savings in the recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.”

There is also a growing trend toward quality over quantity gift giving, with nearly a third of Aussies (31%) saying they run a family Kris Kringle and they love it. Meanwhile, nearly two thirds of respondents said they like the idea of doing a Kris Kringle because it reduces the stress of spending a lot of money (63%) and gives them more time to put thought into getting the gift right (62%).

Aussies hoping to trade the Christmas rush for time with family

PayPal’s research found that Australians spend an average 10 hours planning and purchasing gifts each festive season, with females spending the most time, at 12 hours on average. But this year Aussies are hoping for a change, with more than a quarter (27%) wishing they could spend more time with their loved ones rather than stressing about what gifts to get them.

Australian shopper, Claire McGregor said: “A couple of years ago my family decided to stop buying presents for the sake of it and instead we decided to do a family Kris Kringle. We set a strict limit of $50 for each person, which was a huge relief for me because I recently moved out and my budget is tight. The best bit is - I only have to think about buying one gift instead of five and we send each other ideas with links, so the Christmas shopping is done without even having to set foot in a shopping center. I now can focus on enjoying quality time with my family rather than feeling stressed about Christmas shopping!”

PayPal launches #BuyFromTheBush shopping portal featuring regional retailers this Christmas

Building on the success of the social movement #BuyFromTheBush, PayPal has partnered with founder Grace Brennan to create a new gifting portal on the PayPal website. The new portal on the PayPal website is designed to help Aussies to discover unique and purposeful gifts from 20 rural retailers in drought impacted regions of Australia this Christmas.

PayPal’s research found that nearly three-quarters of consumers prefer to receive (71%) and give (73%) Australian-made gifts, rather than gifts from overseas multinational brands. Aussies over 65 years of age are even more likely to prefer giving Australian-made gifts (87%).

Grace Brennan, Founder of #BuyFromTheBush said, “I launched #BuyFromTheBush to encourage city dwellers to buy from small, rural businesses that have been impacted by the drought. There are so many hidden treasures in our regional communities and I wanted to show Australians the range of unique and beautiful brands that are out there.

“I am thrilled to be working with PayPal to drive even more awareness about the movement and I look forward to hearing the success stories from the businesses involved. The beauty of the online gifting portal is that it shows how many of our growing rural businesses are just a click away and all Australians can do their bit to support our rural communities by shopping from the bush.”

Below are some gift ideas to help you give better and #BuyFromTheBush this Christmas.

Clothing

If you’re looking for a gorgeous summer dress for your wife, girlfriend or sister, Coonamble-based Mink and Me has you sorted with beautiful soft cotton fabrics and bright eclectic colours.

Online store The Good Gift Co is owned by mother of two, Holly. Holly is passionate about giving purposeful, stylish gifts, so has sourced only the highest quality products to help you give gifts that will leaving a lasting impression this Christmas.

South Australian-based store Iris and Wool offers stylish knitwear lovingly made from locally sourced Australian merino wool. These beautiful pieces will make the perfect gifts, while helping support merino wool farmers this Christmas.

Jewellery

Quirindi-based gift store Country Culture specialises in delivering locally sourced, meaningful gifts to their customers. If you are looking for a unique piece of jewellery for a loved one, their Gruva Drop Earrings are the perfect accent for any outfit.

From remote sheep stations to the little towns dotting the Australian landscape, Wattle & Twine brings you handmade products from the women of rural, regional and remote Australia. Their website features a curated collection of unique and charming pieces,  including the Fabric Stud earring which is available in a number of patterns, and the Silver teaspoon bracelet which is both stylish and unique.

Books

Robin's Nest for Children, based in Moree NSW, has gifts for children of all ages. Buy the children in your life one of their unique treasures such as the Keep You Happy book, or pick up one of their Master Plan Diaries to help your family or friends plan for the new year.

Note Couture produces quality stationery and gift cards.  Simple and elegant, their beautifully designed Notebooks make for the perfect gift.

Alcohol

For your loved ones who love to wine and dine, Folke + Freya offer a soulful yet timeless curation of artisanal wares, to help make the dining table sparkle this festive season. The Flemington Acrylic Wine Glass and the Flemington Acrylic Jug are perfect for the outdoors and summer entertaining.

PayPal and PayPal Giving Fund’s Bushfire Disaster Relief Campaign

To further support communities in the bush this Christmas, you can visit PayPal’s Australian Bushfire Disaster Relief donation page which features charities such as The Australian Red Cross, The Salvation Army, St Vincent DePaul Society NSW or GIVIT.  All of these charities are providing aid to people and communities impacted by the devastating fires. You can choose which charity to support and donations are received by PayPal Giving Fund fee-free with 100% of your donation going to your nominated charity.

This is a joint campaign by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389) of Level 24, 1 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000, contact number 1800 073 263 and PayPal Giving Fund Australia Company Ltd (ACN 627 130 563) as trustee for the PayPal Giving Fund Australia (ABN 65 106 950 945), of Level 24, 1 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000, contact number 1800 073 263. Donations are made for the benefit of PayPal Giving Fund Australia at all times, who will be making grants to charities that will assist with bushfire relief. 100% of the donation will be granted to a donors nominated charities in accordance with PayPal Giving Fund Policies.

About the research

The research was conducted by Decibel Research between Friday 15 November and Tuesday 19 November 2019 and commissioned by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389). The research surveyed 1020 consumers nationally.

About PayPal

PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering 300 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit paypal.com.

About PayPal Australia

PayPal has been operating in Australia since 2005 and has more than 8 million active customer accounts. PayPal enables Australian businesses to transact online and offline, from sole proprietors and developers to established large merchants. The PayPal service is provided by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389) which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence number 304962. Visit www.paypal-media.com/au for more information and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and our PayPal Stories blog.

About #BuyFromTheBush

The #BuyFromTheBush movement is aimed at encouraging consumers in city areas to do some of their Christmas shopping in the bush to help support small rural businesses facing severe drought. The social media accounts showcase beautiful rural boutiques and unique wares available from the bush. Those featured rely on predominantly farming communities to keep them afloat, which becomes difficult at a time of drought. The ripple effects of the drought run deep through rural communities and affect many more people than those on the land. Visit #BuyFromTheBush

About PayPal Giving Fund

PayPal Giving Fund (ABN 65 106 950 945) is a Public Ancillary Fund and charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. PayPal Giving Fund uses PayPal technology and financial support to connect donors with the causes that they care about most.