The Ancient Pleasure Of Gifting

The end of the year holidays are a time when people often give gifts to their loved ones. Several segments have a sales boom in this period that usually represents one of the highest volumes of movement of goods and inventories of the entire calendar. This atypical behavior is due, among many other causes, to the fact that it coincides with the Nativity, which is one of the most important festivals in countries with a majority of the population with Christian faith.

Gifts are a perfect example of an impulse that is studied in marketing research. The human being is curious by nature. This characteristic is one of the main engines that has led Humanity to reach greater milestones in terms of scientific discoveries and advances every day. However, our desire to unravel the unknown goes beyond understanding our surroundings. Satisfying our curiosity generates a sense of reward that can make us addicted.

In marketing, this mechanism has been carefully studied to apply it to different promotional and sales campaigns. Even some customs of the Christmas holidays have a strong inspiration in curiosity. That is why we list four practices where interest plays an important role in understanding its durability over time.

  1. Secret friend. In Latin America this dynamic is a custom that is also carried out as an integration technique. Although it is not mandatory, there is an implicit social agreement that makes it very unlikely that anyone will ever refuse to participate in it. This activity consists of placing the names of all the students in a class or colleagues in an office in an amphora. Then each of them draw a name at random. Each participant must leave a gift to the person who touched it in the drawing without leaving clues as to who the sender is.
  2. Advent Calendar. This custom is more typical of European countries. Many brands use this custom to launch samples of some product lines. It consists of a large chest or box with small cells or niches numbered from 1 to 24 (some include 25). Each day in December the holder will open the drawer corresponding to the number indicated outside to discover a mysterious gift. On many occasions, the brands that offer these calendars use as a promise of value that the total cost of the gifts exceeds the price of the entire package.
  3. Returns box. Recently, the supply of boxes that include various items that are presumed to be returns from various online stores has grown. Saving the high probability of fraud, this business niche appeals to curiosity and the opportunity to earn money by reselling merchandise that arrives in good condition and in proper working order. Despite not being exclusive to Christmas, this practice leads some consumers to use it as an opportunity to obtain the desired present at low cost and to relate it to gambling for generating in some people a kind of addiction for wanting to win the jackpot at the next box.
  4. Lottery. Another dynamic that is not characteristic of Christmas involves much more chance than the previous point. In some businesses, knowing that many people overspend and know that this creates a need for credit, they launch campaigns that allow consumers to win prizes if they meet certain conditions. Whether through a raffle, a lottery, or a scratch card game, people can get additional gifts for increasing their average ticket.

Although rivers of ink have been run on the implications of curiosity in marketing, it is also true that not in all circumstances it can be applied in the same way. Meeting the needs of people through this impulse must be well studied to avoid falling into projects that end up resulting in adverse effects such as a close link between the brand and frustration. At Acertiva we know about this and other topics of common interest in market research. Contact us today to tell you how together we can write your next success story.