Over 27 million Brits are turning to Secret Santa style gifting to save money on Christmas gifts this year amid the cost-of-living crisis.
According to new research from Sainsbury’s loyalty card scheme Nectar, this comes as Brits are in return, hoping to receive Secret Santa favourites including a bottle of alcohol, festive chocolates or a selection box of biscuits.
While 60% want to treat loved ones, 38% are concerned that they can’t afford to and 48% are therefore looking for more affordable options.
Secret Santa gifting has spread beyond friendship groups and workplaces this year as Nectar found that more than seven million families will also be using the gifting game.
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According to the loyalty card scheme, in previous years, millions of shoppers have cashed in on their Nectar points at Christmas.
Last year alone, £50 million worth of points were redeemed in December, the equivalent of 2.5 million turkeys, 82 million kg of roast potatoes and 253 million mince pies.
“Despite the challenges this year, our customers are telling us it’s still really important to them to make Christmas as special as they can, and our research shows that secret Santa is a great way to still be able to treat loved ones,” Nectar director of loyalty and CRM, Alex Naisby said.
“We know that customers often have around £20 worth of Nectar points left to spend at this time of year so redeeming those is a great way to help festive celebrations go that little bit further.
“Whether it’s secret Santa gifting or topping up on Christmas dinner essentials, we hope that customers can use our top tips to make their Christmas shopping a little bit easier this year.”
