Canadians are generous when it comes to spending on gifts for others but as it turns out, for themselves as well. According to a recent survey on gift giving habits by Rakuten.ca (formerly Ebates.ca) 75 per cent of Canadians will treat themselves to a gift and of those, 13 per cent do so frequently while 62 per cent do it at least occasionally. When it comes to gifts from ‘me-to-me’, 38 per cent of Canadians say they don’t need a special reason to treat themselves, while 19 per cent say they self-gift for accomplishing a goal they set. They are also likely to buy themselves a gift for a special occasion (27 per cent) such as their birthday, Christmas or Valentine’s Day. When they’re feeling down, 15 percent say they like to shop as a pick-me-up treat.
Women are more likely to treat themselves to the occasional gift (65 per cent versus 58 per cent for men), but men are reportedly spending more on themselves than women, with men averaging $149 versus $86 for women. This could be due to the items each are purchasing, with 44 per cent of men gravitating towards electronics or a meal out while 46 per cent of women opt for clothing/accessories or beauty products/treatments. Overall, 5 per cent of Canadians are extremely generous self-gifters and admit to having spent over $500 on a gift for themselves.
On average, the majority of Canadians who treat themselves do so because they feel it’s important (63 per cent), while 27 per cent said they deserved it for working hard. Men were more likely to say they deserved it for working hard (31 per cent men, versus 23 per cent women), while women are more likely than men to say that it’s important to treat yourself (67 per cent women versus 57 per cent men). Age can also be a factor in self-gifting, with 85 per cent of Canadians under 35 more likely to treat themselves than their older peers (71 per cent on average).
So what type of self-gifter are you?
