Over two thirds of UK adults are not planning to buy any gadgets in a bid to cut costs this Christmas.
UK shoppers are being priced out of the gadget market as the high cost of gadgets that top shoppers' wish lists range from £429-£599. With total gadget gift spend averaging £275 per gift buyer this Christmas, and only half of consumers willing to spend up to £200 on gadget gifts, buyers are unable to fulfil their friends and family's expensive gadget wishes and are turning to more affordable gadget accessories.
"There are many top 10 Christmas gadget wish list reports but our survey reveals that, when money is still tight, only a third of UK consumers will be buying gadget gifts of any kind," commented Mohammed Hussain, MD of Mobile Fun, who commissioned the survey into consumers' actual gadget gift buying plans in the run up to Christmas.
What people want
Topping gadget wish lists were, unsurprisingly:
1. The Apple iPad, starting at £429,
2. Tnd Apple's iPhone 4, priced at £499,
3. The Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod Touch,
4. And Nintendo Wii were next on the list and are more affordable, but their prices still range from £109, for an Amazon Kindle to approximately £157 for the Nintendo Wii console,
5. £294.49 for a 64GB Apple iPod Touch.
Only nine per cent of survey respondents looking forward to gadget gifts want to find netbooks and laptops waiting for them under the Christmas tree.
What people will actually get
Shoppers who are planning to buy gadget gifts this year favour Apple's iPod Touch as the top gift for their loved ones and friends. More practical gifts such as netbooks and laptops also scored highly, with brands such as Dell, Acer and Asus leading the way, and the next most popular gadgets being given this Christmas are the Amazon Kindle, Kinect for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and digital cameras.
58 per cent of the 1,182 adults surveyed by Opinion Matters will be further tightening their belts and buying the majority of their gadgets online, where most of the bargains are to be found.
Mohammed Hussain, MD of Mobile Fun added: "Gadget gifts don't have to be expensive. They can just as easily be about 'gadget bling' or 'gadgets for your gadgets', where shoppers accessorise their friends and family's gadgets with new cases, sleeves, bags, headsets, car kits and speakers. With accessories starting at less than £10, consumers without much to spend can still find an affordable way to complement the gadgets that the people in their life already have or are receiving this year.
Universal and multi-functional accessories are flying off the shelves in the run up to Christmas. The Clingo Universal Phone and Media Disk Stand and Philips' clock radio, which doubles as a mobile device charger, are just two examples. Laptop and netbook bags are also a lower cost gadget related option for savvy consumers seeking to save money this festive season."