Shutterfly study says U.S. gift-givers concerned about budgets

GaryPageau
Everyday mom Kris Jenner looking at Shutterfly products as part of the company’s 2022 holiday campaign

Personalized products leader Shutterfly announced findings from an annual holiday survey, as well as proprietary data on consumer retail trends and the company’s approach to the holiday season amidst continued inflation.

Although nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans report being concerned about the impact of rising prices on their holiday gift budgets amidst current economic pressures, but Shutterfly claims it is well-positioned to help consumers spend their holiday gift budget wisely. Earlier this holiday season, Shutterfly offered customers items as low as $2.99, and currently offers more than 70 items under $25 such as mugs, ornaments, and 8×8 photo books.

Nine in ten (89%) Americans said it is important to find a thoughtful gift you know someone will like when thinking about purchasing gifts for others, and more than a third say they are stressed about finding a meaningful gift for their loved ones.

“Across Shutterfly’s family of brands, we have something for everyone to celebrate this holiday season in a memorable way that fits their budget,” said Hilary Schneider, Shutterfly’s CEO. “We enable all dimensions of custom-designed holiday cards and gifts, from the affordable with Snapfish to the mainstream with Shutterfly. And we have a 100 percent happiness guarantee, so if customers are not satisfied, we will make it right.”

165 million holiday cards

On average during the holiday season, Shutterfly produces 165 million cards. Last year, Shutterfly customers used more than eight million photos for their cards, averaging 4.7 photos per holiday card. The majority (68%) included a traditional family photo, 26% had at least one pet, and 9 out of 10 pet photos featured dogs.

Despite continued inflation, Shutterfly’s 2022 holiday survey found the percentage of people who say they plan to send out holiday cards remains unchanged from prior years, signaling that this is an important tradition for families, the company said. In fact, 85% of those sending out holiday cards say it is a way to stay close to friends and family. Of those who report planning to send out holiday cards this year, most say they are likely to buy or design a card including an inspiring quote (73%), followed by a funny joke or sentiment (61%), a meaningful poem (59%), and personal or family news (54%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Shutterfly between Oct, 4-5, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English. The study is representative of the U.S. adult population; post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, region, education, and income.