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Our latest press releases and thoughts from Twitter, along with our findings on the latest trends in gift giving and finding presents for difficult people and those who have everything!

Gift Giving Trends for 2009 see green and traditional crafts benefit from credit crunch

ProblemPresents.com predicts a shift in gift buying trends in 2009, based on analysis of recent search activity online, as well as wider consumer trends. It predicts the top 5 trends affecting gift buying will be:

1. The new old -revisiting skills consumers thought they had lost in order to produce home made, home crafted gifts. This could be everything from knitting to wood carving, painting to jam making. New technology will give a wider audience access to contemporary and nostalgic designs to replicate at home.

2. Gift Miles - the gift equivalent of food miles, consumers will look to make their money count and support businesses that not only provide something different but also with a link to their local economy. Small, local and independent will become more attractive, as well as those online sites that gather together the best of small businesses around the UK, such as Not On the High Street and Etsy.

3. Less will be more - people will think more about what they are buying, as they will be looking to spend less. When watching the pennies, consumers won't want a random collection of stuff panic bought from the High Street. Last minute shopping will decline, in favour of better considered purchases.  

4. Long Tail Gifting - consumers will be looking for more and more unusual gifts that reflect a person's very real interests. For example, it won't be enough just to buy a foodie gift, but a foodie gift for someone who really enjoys goats cheese, particularly goats cheese from South West France. Related to less is more, when consumers spend money, they'll want to know they've got something just right, no matter how obscure. The web allows consumers to delve into these niches, no matter how small.

5. Green and pleasant land - consumers will be looking for objects with serious green credentials, particularly those that help save the other green stuff at the same time. Money saving and eco-friendly will happily co-exist, as well as serious design chic now being essential as well as the green credentials of an item.

Helen Tarver, Editor at ProblemPresents.com, says, "We have been seeing the undercurrent of these trends throughout 2008 and see these 5 as the key influencers of purchasing in 2009. As the economic climate continues to be uncertain, this will be a year of taking stock, considered purchasing and also for rediscovering the joy of creating things ourselves."

Release Date: 10 December 2008

Christmas 2008 turns to saucy rather than romantic gifts

In its third Christmas of analysing gift buying, ProblemPresents.com sees a switch from romantic gift giving to saucy gifts, by over 1200%.

In 2007, there were more romantic presents being sought, with saucy gifts not really getting a mention. This year the trend is reversed, with saucy lingerie being top of the requests. It's also not just confined to being men searching for gifts for women - there are equal numbers of women looking for saucy gifts for the men in their lives.

Is this a side-effect of the credit crunch, with romance being seen as an expensive option? Editor, Helen Tarver, admits to being a bit confused, as she says, "This is not a clear cut trend. At first glance, considerably more people are arriving at  ProblemPresents.com looking for saucy gifts than last year, particularly in lingerie. So, things like open thongs, basques and even full length gloves have been very popular. But we can also track almost a change of heart within a visit to the site from these saucy items to high quality, luxury lingerie in romantic materials from brands such as Verde Veronica and Bulb."

ProblemPresents.com has been advising on gifts for all occasions for the past two years. Helen continued, "Lingerie buying is always awash with difficulties, and saucy items in particular do rely on knowing your partner very well. And this maybe why many men chicken out at the last minute, perhaps even more so this year when cash is tighter, therefore people may be buying less gifts and want every present to count."

And the men don't get left out, as the key request for men this year is for saucy boxers! As Helen says, "We think it's the Beckham effect - those Emporio Armani shoots have definitely got women thinking!"  

Release date 27 November 2008

Credit Crunch Has Negative Effect on Ethical Gift Giving

In its third Christmas of analysing gift buying, ProblemPresents.com research shows interest in ethical gift giving has slumped.

From being the top trend in gift giving in 2007, ethical gift giving shows very little sign of taking off this Christmas as the gift of choice, according to latest results from ProblemPresents.com. This was especially true of women looking for ethical gifts for men in 2007, but in these times of financial worry on the domestic front, ethics seems to be out the window.

2007 was the year of ethical presents, from goats to Africa through to carbon offsetting. 2008 seems to shaping up to be the year of the foodie gift, with the emphasis for Christmas gift buying switching from an outward, global view to very much a home based focus.

Helen Tarver, Editor for ProblemPresents.com said, "The switch away from interest in ethical gift giving has been very marked this Christmas. In 2007 it was the leading item searched for on the site, and this year we have not seen the same spike in interest in the run up to Christmas."

ProblemPresents.com has been advising on gifts for all occasions for the past two years. Helen continued, "In these times of financial worry for many, it is a notable change of emphasis for gift buying, particularly from women. In many cases, we are seeing a switch to foodie gifts, for indulgence, as well as things for making more things yourself, like the Tefal Electric Jam Maker."

With Christmas being a vital time of year for fundraising for ethical and charitable organizations, this will be an unwelcome piece of seasonal news, but good news potentially for British food manufacturers.

Release date 11 November 2008

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