London, 22 December 2021: With Christmas just around the corner, new internal data from Klarna reveals the UK’s hottest Christmas gifts this festive season. One of the fastest-growing categories is children's products as families get ready to make Christmas day even more exciting for their little ones (1). Some of the most purchased items include (2):
- Hot Wheels
- Interactive Doll
- Barbie items
- Pikmi Pops Cheeki Puffs items
- Surprise sets
- Makeup Set
- Love Diana Lip Balms
- Styling and Fashion Dolls
- Dinosaurus Play Dough
- Aqua Drawing Playmat
However, not everyone is purchasing gifts for loved ones this year, increasingly, people are literally taking matters into their own hands. New Klarna research (3) shows that 1 in 5 (20%) Brits are making their own Christmas gifts this year. This trend is particularly popular among younger generations, with almost 1 in 2 (44%) of Gen Z choosing to make their own personalised presents, compared to only 1 in 12 (8%) Baby Boomers. Baking and cooking are the most common DIY gifts in the UK (46%), followed by handmade jewelry (28%), knitting (25%) and painting (25%). Personalisation and convenience are the main reasons for people to make DIY presents, with 7 in 10 (68%) wanting to give more personal gifts and 1 in 2 (53%) wanting to save time.
Having flexibility over cash-flow across the holiday season is also becoming increasingly important for people of all ages. Recent Klarna research found that 7 in 10 (68%) of buy now pay later (BNPL) users said that the service will help them to manage their spending more effectively over the festive period.
Alex Marsh, Head of Klarna UK, commented “The holiday countdown has officially begun and Brits are getting ready to make the most out of this festive season, especially for their little ones. The rise in DIY gifts hints towards the continued popularity and growth of more personalised gifts - a trend we’re expecting to accelerate in the coming years. At the same time, when consumers want to buy their gifts, they increasingly look for convenient and flexible payment options, such as BNPL, to be in better control of their finances and manage their holiday spending more effectively.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
- Klarna internal data: sales from 22 Nov to 12 Dec compared to Q1-Q3
- Klarna internal data: Example of top selling items and categories from 22 Nov to 12 Dec.
- Insights from Klarna’s consumer research, conducted in cooperation with Nepa across 11 countries (the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Finland). The research was conducted during October and November 2021 and includes a minimum of 1,000 respondents in each country. In total, more than 11,000 consumers participated. The sample sizes are nationally representative, naturally including both Klarna users and non-Klarna users, and have been selected by research agency Nepa.
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About Klarna
We make shopping smooth. With Klarna consumers can buy now and pay later, so they can get what they love today. Klarna’s offering to consumers and retailers include payments, social shopping, and personal finances. Over 250,000 retail partners, including H&M, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress have enabled Klarna’s innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs globally with a valuation of $45.6 billion. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 4,000 employees and is active in 19 countries. For more information, visit klarna.com.
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