Technology gifts and beach holidays come out tops, while most of us keep mum when we get gifts we don’’t like.

A snap holiday survey conducted by Visa in South Africa has revealed what South Africans want most for Christmas gifts, where they want to travel and those presents that top the ‘stinker’ list.

And while there is good news for technology companies, the tidings aren’t so good for coffee machine makers.

Gifts

According to the survey, technology tops the list of most-wanted gift with 41% of respondents saying that’s what they hope to find under the tree. The least popular gift is a coffee machine with only 4% hoping for one of these.

Also surprisingly popular, and a relief to those who agonise over choosing the right gift, are gift vouchers with 30% of respondents holding thumbs for these. This is followed by clothing at 26% and grooming products including perfume at 23%. Also popular is money at 16%, spa treatments at 14%, kitchen appliances at 12% and alcohol at 9%.

When it comes to receiving gifts we don’t like, South Africans are a polite bunch. The survey showed that 93% of us say nothing when we get a gift we don’t like – and a third of us have regifted a present we don’t like.

And the top categories for ‘stinker’ gifts are bad clothing at 26%, a strange book the recipient would never read at 13% and random bits of clothing extras like ties or socks, also at 13%.

Interestingly, ‘Millennials’ (those aged between 18 and 24) are more likely to have received terrible gifts in the form of odd clothing and most often from their grandparents.

When asked how long before Christmas South Africans start shopping, it seems that South Africans are well prepared, with just over half saying a month or longer. And 33% say between two and three weeks before while just 1% admit they shop on the day before.

And it’s not just shopping for others: 59% of people say they have bought gifts for themselves.

Despite the rise of online shopping, the mall is still the most popular destination for holiday shopping with 93% braving the crowds.

Online shopping

The survey showed however that while most people still prefer malls, when it comes to buying gifts 30% of South Africans prefer to shop online.

Online shopping is still in its infancy in South Africa, often because of general wariness of entering private data online. To help ease the concerns of online shoppers, Visa has recently introduced Visa Checkout in South Africa, which is expected to drive more online shopping and e-commerce in general.

Visa Checkout allows consumers to store their shipping and payment information in a secure account with Visa once and, after enrolment, customers can complete any future purchases in just a few clicks by entering their user name and password. Globally, seven million people use Visa Checkout.

How much on a gift?

48% of South Africans will spend between R200 and R1 000 this festive season, while 22% plan to spend under R200 and 30% said they will splurge more than R1 000.

When it comes to payment preferences, the survey showed 61% of people like to pay with a debit card followed by 20% with a credit card while 18% use cash.

Notably, there is variation in debit-card spending patterns, with people using debit cards to buy clothes, food and pay bills just 60% of the time, while this drops to less than 50% for items such as petrol, small daily purchases and gifts for oneself.

Of those who used credit cards, 88% said they bought goods ‘straight’ while 12% used the ‘budget’ facility on their cards.

Holidays – the reality

When it comes to December holiday habits, 35% of South African’s opted for the beach followed by 28% who said they prefer the peace and quiet of staying at home. For the rest, 21% said they spend the holidays at a relative’s house, 5% like mountains, 4% opt for a game farm, 3% another city and 3% travel overseas.

Of those braving a crushed rand and travelling overseas, 33% like a bright-lights-big-city experience like London, 28% prefer an island getaway, 22% visit relatives, 11% opted for a cruise while 6% chose skiing.

When quizzed about who we spend the holidays with, 80% spend it with family and 3% expect to spend it alone this year.

Holidays – the dream

Respondents were also asked where they would travel on a ‘dream holiday’ if money were no object. 41% said an island holiday, 25% wanted the excitement of a big city, 16% a cruise to an exotic location, 5% chose skiing, 4% said visiting relatives, 3% hiking in the mountains and 5% imaginatively chose anything but South Africa.

The survey was carried out earlier this month and questioned 600 people nationwide.