If you want to make a lasting impression when giving someone a Christmas gift, you may want to steer clear of big-box stores.<\/p>\n
According to new research, a majority of Brits would rather receive something with a personal touch than an expensive retail item this festive season.<\/p>\n
The study, which found that 68 per cent of Brits prefer gifts that come from the heart and feel more personal, revealed that Christmas is more about sentimentality than lavish, expensive gifts.<\/p>\n
In the Vistaprint<\/a> survey of 2,000 British adults, conducted by OnePoll, it was also revealed that nearly every type of generic gift takes a backseat to gifts perceived as \u201cheartfelt\u201d and \u201cpersonalised.\u201d<\/p>\n As reported in the study, over a quarter of the respondents would rather receive this type of a gift over something more generic worth \u00a3100.<\/p>\n Even gift cards, long-heralded as the \u201cchoose your own adventure\u201d of gift-giving, were found to be second-fiddle to something with a more personal touch, as only 8 per cent of survey respondents said they\u2019d take one over a heartfelt gift.<\/p>\n Additionally, if making a lasting-impression is a goal of yours when deciding what to give someone, you can\u2019t go wrong with the more heartfelt and personalised route.<\/p>\n Nearly three in four respondents (71 per cent) said they\u2019d be much more likely to remember a heartfelt and personalised gift over something more generic and store-bought.<\/p>\n Another 65 per cent of respondents said they\u2019d be much more likely to tell others about the gift if it was more personal, too.<\/p>\n Six in ten (59 per cent) also said they keep personalised gifts much longer than generic, store-bought ones \u2014 with the average respondent saying they keep them over for a full year<\/em> longer and a third (33 per cent) saying they would keep it forever.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than ever we\u2019re finding that people regard the festive season as a way to reconnect with loved ones at the end of a hectic year,\u201d <\/em>Silvia Lussana, Global Product Lead for Consumer at Vistaprint said. \u201cPeople can make these connections more meaningful, by turning their magical memories and the year\u2019s best moments with friends and family into gifts to treasure. From cards and calendars to photobooks, pillows, blankets and more, Vistaprint provides a <\/em>range of Christmas products<\/em><\/a> and the assistance people need to create something truly heartfelt and personal.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just receiving a personal gift that people enjoy \u2014 it\u2019s also giving.<\/p>\n Sixty-five per cent of the respondents said they derive more satisfaction from giving someone a heartfelt and personalised gift than something generic.<\/p>\n The top reasons cited for giving a personalised gift was because it is a keepsake (54 per cent) and it will be remembered (49 per cent). Gift uniqueness (44 per cent) and bonding over memories (43 per cent) rounded out the list.<\/p>\n With most things in life, giving the perfect gift can also be inhibited by finances. Over half of the survey respondents (57 per cent) said they\u2019re eager to get people more personalised gifts but feel hampered by budget restrictions.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Lussana adds: \u201cWe see a large spike in photo gift orders beginning in early November and lasting through to mid-December<\/em>. We\u2019re proud to help alleviate the concerns some Christmas shoppers have when it comes to creating the perfect customised gift on a budget. Vistaprint makes it easier for busy shoppers to create beautiful, affordable personalised photo gifts that will delight everyone on their list long after the festive season is over.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n