NAB Gift Cards Avoid uncomfortable silences this Christmas
Socks and jocks, non-stick fry pans and scented bath oils - cross them off the list this year
A nationwide survey conducted by Galaxy Research1 on behalf of NAB has revealed that nearly 72% of Australians regularly receive a Christmas gift they don't like despite the fact that 69% of Australians rated their present buying ability as being above average.
The survey revealed that unpopular, but regularly received, gifts include body and bath
products, books, dressing gowns, slippers, socks and underwear; with teenagers
particularly hating receiving clothes selected by their parents, wives and girlfriends
turning their noses up at kitchen appliances from their partners and dads
understandably rating socks as "run of the mill".
With Australians getting an average of one to two unwanted gifts every Christmas, and the typical amount spent for each member on their immediate family averaging over $100, the amount of unwanted gifts is proving costly!
The survey findings point to both a miscommunication between different family
generations as well as a lack of time to devote to Christmas shopping. 74% of
respondents for example stated they would still be shopping the week before
Christmas.
Ms Lisa Palma, Head of Product Management, Consumer Deposits, said the NAB Visa
Gift Card presented the perfect gift-buying solution for difficult to buy-for relatives.
"With so many Australians receiving unwanted gifts, the NAB Visa Gift Card is a great
way to ensure your loved one receives something they really want. It might also save
you from some uncomfortable silences this Christmas," Ms Palma said.
The survey also revealed the recent economic downturn is expected to have a direct
impact on Christmas spending this year, with over half (54%) claiming they will spend
less this Christmas.
"This Christmas Australians will be closely watching their finances, which is one of the
reasons a gift card is an ideal present. Not only do people get what they want, it also
means your hard earned money is not going to waste. It's a win-win situation for
everybody," Ms Palma said.
The majority of Australians have given gift cards previously for Christmas and special
occasions (86%) stating the two most common reasons being that it gives the recipient
the freedom to choose what they want (74%) and they didn't know what to buy (58%).
However most (65%) Australians would prefer to give a gift voucher that can be used at
a variety of stores rather than one that can only be redeemed at one store. In turn most
Australians would prefer to receive a gift card that can be used at different stores
(53%).
The NAB Visa Gift Card is available to anyone at any NAB branch and takes only
minutes to buy. It provides the perfect solution for avoiding unwanted gifts, as it can be
used shopping, online or over the phone - anywhere a Visa Gift Card is accepted in
Australia or overseas.
To learn more about the NAB Visa Gift card log onto
www.nab.com.au/yourgiftcard or
visit your nearest NAB branch.
Enter to Win Cash
About NAB Visa Gift Card
o It can be used anywhere a Visa Gift Card is accepted in Australia or overseas.
o You don't have to be a NAB customer.
o There are no application forms to complete.
o No identification check is required.
o Available for amounts between $25 and $800 and is not reloadable.
Key highlight findings from the survey included the following:
o Grandparents were rated as the worst gift-givers in Australia (37%), followed by mums (20%), and dads (14%).
o While parents thought books were a wise gift choice for teenage sons (36%) more than one in three boys (38%) gave the thumbs down.
o 53% of teenage girls did not appreciate receiving clothes from parents as a gift while 70% of parents believed clothing to be a good purchase for their daughters.
o Most difficult to buy for with 53% of the votes are wives or girlfriends.
o Kitchen and cooking appliances topped the list of gifts women would least like to receive from their partner while 27% of men thought these were a suitable choice for their loved one.
o 68% of grandchildren rated photo frames to be good gifts for grandparents, however 44% of grandparents thought these were a "nice thought" but not something they would really want.
o Of all states those in New South Wales are most likely to re-gift presents with a total of 61 % admitting to this. They are also most likely over any other state to finish their shopping after Christmas.
1 The Galaxy Research national survey was conducted online with a total of 1242 respondents aged 13 years and older between 14 - 17 October 2008.
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