By Maria LaMagna
Shutterstock
You know your uncle loves historical fiction and your cousin is crazy about sci-fi films; your sister's favorite musical artist is no great mystery, and your boyfriend spends every spare moment playing video games. Buying thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list should be a snap. But is it?
There are no books, movies, albums or games worth wrapping up, it seems, when everyone you know consumes all their media on an Apple /quotes/zigman/68270/delayed/quotes/nls/aapl AAPL +2.35% iPad or one of Amazon's /quotes/zigman/63011/delayed/quotes/nls/amzn AMZN +1.40% Kindle e-readers. Which is why instead of giving the gift of books, music, and movies, many have no choice but to give gift cards. In fact, more than eight in 10 shoppers intend to give these flimsy bits of plastic as gifts this holiday season, according to the National Retail Foundation's holiday spending survey, each spending an average of $ 163 — an all-time high.
The good news for givers who decide to go the gift-card route: Six in 10 of those surveyed by the NRF put gift cards at the top of their wish list. And buying them is certainly easy. You can buy printable, e-mail-deliverable, or digital gift cards everywhere from Amazon to Facebook to iTunes. It's one more reason that sitting behind a laptop has, for some, replaced the traditional trip to the bookstore, music retailer or department store before Christmas and Hanukkah.
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Still, this shift to online purchasing hasn't yet eliminated the holiday rush to brick-and-mortar stores, says Patricia Norins, a retail expert and spokesperson for Small Business Saturday. This year, the average family plans to spend $ 646 on gifts for the holiday season, according to a recent study from Accenture, an 11% increase from holiday spending in 2012 and four times as much as will be spend on gift cards. "At some point, if you're only giving and getting gift cards, you might as well write each other a check," Norins says.
What's more, "a large part of the holiday season still constitutes receiving and giving actual gifts. That's part of the tradition," Norins says. Others agree. Consumers still want the experience of unwrapping a gift, because it is a public display and creates a personal connection, says Greg Girard, program director of IDC retail insights. And Debra Gold, president strategic marketing and public relations firm Gold & Co., likens the process to sending a birthday card or a wedding invitation in print instead of in an email. "When the message really matters, it's paper," she says. "You choose the gift yourself. It's not impersonal." That's why digital methods of buying and receiving gifts may complement, but won't replace, a more traditional presentation, Girard says.
Also see: America's credit card bill is $ 13 billion bigger in December
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