Snapchat has shared some new research into modern gift-giving, and how Gen Z and Millennials don’t just give out gifts to each other for major events, like birthdays and Christmas. But they also look to celebrate a broader range of life moments with thoughtful gifts.
Which could be an important consideration for your marketing and outreach approach.
In order to learn more about modern gift-giving behaviors, Snapchat commissioned a new study from NRG and Stagwell Group, which incorporates responses from 12k respondents across 12 countries.
Here’s what they found:
First off, nearly 8 in 10 Gen Z and Millennials say that it’s important to find ways to celebrate throughout the year.
As per Snap:
“Whether it’s a big holiday or something as small as ‘National Donut Day,’ everyday moments are being transformed into opportunities to connect, shop, and share. For Snapchatters, these celebrations double as fuel for creativity – 73% say holidays are one of their favorite times to express themselves.”
These days, every day is “National Bike Riding Day,” or “International Day of the Frog Prince,” or whatever else, and younger audiences are seeking out more ways to celebrate and make the best of each moment, as a means to celebrate life in general, in addition to major life events.
That could mean that tapping into these celebrations could help to drive a lot more interest with younger shoppers, by sharing fun, engaging tie-ins related to the many celebrations and events.
And when people do receive gifts, they share about them online:
As you can see in this overview, 46% of Snapchatters chat with friends or family while shopping, and 40% share the gifts they receive on Snapchat.
That could be a valuable promotion and engagement trigger, getting more people to advocate on your behalf, by promoting your products through this type of sharing.
And then there’s also self-gifting, because you deserve it, right?
The data here provides some valuable pointers for self-gifting promotions, indicating when your target audience is more likely to be seeking something for themselves.
I mean, you probably could have guessed these celebrations either way, but it’s another reminder that you’re not just promoting gifts for friends and family around these specific events.
Though there are some important promotional considerations within this:
As the data shows, while frequent promotions will help to keep your brand top of mind, creativity and engagement is key, because a constant barrage of the same messaging can also make your products feel less special and unique.
Also worth noting the final point above: “Brands or products that help [consumers] get creative may become go-to brands for future celebrations.”
So it’s also about enabling engagement, not just creativity in your own promotions, with activations that inspire interaction and activity on the part of the audience.
Some interesting notes, while Snap has also provided three additional considerations for your gifting promotions:
- Sustainable and ethical gifts matter more than ever
- Experiences like travel and dining are taking priority over physical items
- Tech innovations like AR try-ons and AI recommendations are opening new doors for product discovery
It might be worth factoring these into your holiday planning, with a range of shopping days and promotional opportunities coming up.
You can check out Snapchat’s full gifting trends report here.
