After an antisocial wilderness life and casually hanging out on the couch, we want to experience the hustle and bustle of cultural life and the atmosphere of sports arenas, see people and dress nicely.
This year's Christmas gift 2021 – the event ticket – is in the spirit of social experience and post-pandemic.
From the 2020 pandemic year's storm kitchen to event tickets in 2021. This year's Christmas gift should reflect the times we live in, according to the criteria for the nomination set by the Swedish Trade Research Institute (HUI). And when the corona restrictions have been eased, we have a pent-up desire for social experiences and to meet the world in real life.
It has become so clear during this period that something we really missed during corona has been being able to experience things together with others. That is why we want to lift up the event ticket: it applies to both culture, concerts, theater and sporting events. We see that there is a pent-up need for this – partly because the demand is very high, tickets are selling out and audience records are being broken. And this is being met with a greatly increased supply, "says Emma Hernell, CEO of HUI.
At the same time, the infection rate is increasing in Europe, and reinstated restrictions may also be relevant in Sweden if the situation requires it.
”"We are taking the opportunity to have fun while it is still possible, there may be such an effect. At the same time, we must closely follow the authorities' recommendations going forward," says Emma Hernell.
This is not the first time that an experience has been named Christmas gift of the year by the Swedish Retail Research Institute (HUI). The last time it happened, in 2008, the novelty was being able to buy a packaged experience with your own experience in focus. This year, the focus is on what we haven't been able to do during the pandemic: doing things together.
However, the interest in consuming experiences is not just about a short-term effect of the pandemic, according to Emma Hernell.
”"It has been particularly exciting to follow how consumption patterns are changing right now. But if you look a little further back, you see that we are spending an increasingly larger proportion of our disposable income on culture and recreation. We see that people value it increasingly more. It is both a short-term corona effect, but also a long-term trend that is very exciting.".
The pandemic has meant that parts of the retail sector, such as the fashion and beauty trade, have been brought to their knees, as have parts of the service sector, which have had a tough time. A boost in the consumption of culture, sports and recreation also acts as an engine for other types of consumption, according to HUI. For example, the fashion trade is now seeing a recovery, as we once again want to dress nicely.
”"When we go to events, it creates a lot of consumption all around: you might want to wear something nice, you might need to go to the hairdresser, you might linger after work and stroll through stores and buy things," notes Emma Hernell.
However, she believes that some of the shopping habits we established during the pandemic, such as the habit of online fashion shopping, will remain.
This is the 34th year in a row that HUI has chosen the Christmas Gift of the Year. The criteria are that it should represent the times we live in, be a novelty or a newly awakened interest, and sell well or have a high sales value. At least one of three criteria must be met to qualify.
Source: TT
