After a stressful year, people will be 'self-gifting' this Christmas, study says

2020 will always be the year COVID-19 came and wrecked our lives.

If you managed to read that sentence without crying, you deserve a pat on the back. In fact, if you deserve a gift. And if you've already been thinking about treating yourself this holiday season, you should know that you're not alone.

A recent study by Facebook Philippines saw a shift in the consumers purchasing habits, which is attributed to the impact of COVID-19. It suggests that more consumers now prefer to save their money to buy something for themselves, as a reward at the end of the year.

The study found that as many as 46% of shoppers in the Philippines are looking to “reward themselves as the outbreak begins to ease."

Shoppers in the Philippines were also seen to be twice more likely to buy something for themselves during holiday sales events.

That being said, the question is this: Will buying stuff for yourself actually make you feel better?

According to psychologist and life coach Riyan Portuguez explains it: "Consumers primarily use their emotions rather than information (e.g. product use, attributes, features) in evaluating brands which is why advertisements are using strategies that appeal the emotional response of their targeted consumers."

She also said that retail therapy, when done in moderation, could have benefits such as easing one’s stress, boosts in self-confidence, enhances creativity, gives satisfaction, and improves mood.

"It activates the dopamine reward system of our brain which gives us a sense of pleasure and rewarding feeling after purchase," Portuguez explained.

"However, if you spend outside your means, you will more likely feel its negative impact — distress due to debts and guilt feelings for buying unnecessary things," she added.

As for all this "self-gifting" business, Portuguez can see at least three reasons why it's becoming such a trend.

First of all, self-gifting or giving rewards to oneself can be attributed to the misunderstood notion of self-care permeating social media.

"Most people equate self-care to buying gifts and pampering oneself, when in fact, self-care is more than just self-gifting," Portuguez explained.

"[Self-care] is about doing what you love and navigating a wide range of activities that might be best for you, to help you improve your overall wellness."

Next, Portuguez pointed out that "online shopping applications are popular and widely accessible, which increases the chance of impulse buying of consumers."

Finally, the distress brought by a pandemic outbreak can consume our energy and makes us feel more "tired." 

"For this reason, we are more prone to commit impulse buying and self-reward as options to alleviate our distress than to spend time resisting and having second thoughts on buying," Portuguez explained.

What should I do?

So what exactly should we do now that year-end mega-sales are upon us, with massive discounts and free shipping offers in our faces for the next few months?

From a marketing perspective, Joseph Emil N. Santos from the De La Salle University-Manila's Marketing and Advertising Department reminds holiday shoppers to remain careful and vigilant with digital platforms and online sellers.

"Because of the recession, there will be devious people online who will take advantage of naive consumers," Santos told GMA News Online.

"Monitor the prices being given online, don’t just accept the offering without properly researching other offerings. Appreciate the ratings and reviews of other consumers," he suggests.

We also know that the pandemic did a number on most of us whether it's financially, psychologically or even just emotionally, and some have it worse than others.

Dr. Portuguez's advice would be to determine your "needs" vs. your "wants." Prioritize things that you need than the things you just want to have.

You can also allow yourself to reflect before making a purchase and try reducing your browsing activity on online shopping apps.

If you can, try to reduce your browsing activity on online shopping apps. But if you find it hard to resist the impulse of buying, Portuguez said it will be helpful to uninstall or block the online shops.

If you look to online shopping as a way to relieve stress, there are plenty of other ways to do that. These include self-care activities, mindfulness, and seeking professional help to strengthen your mental health.

"In the end, long-term benefits and healthier coping mechanisms that boost your overall wellness are one of the few things you can't find on online shopping," Portuguez said.

By "treating yourself," we don't mean it like in relatable episode in "Parks and Recreation" where Tom and Donna bought a bunch of pointless, flashy things for themselves and kept saying "treat yo' self!" while everyone watched.

It just means that a lot of people might want a new phone, a non-pambahay shirt or even a fancier face mask just to feel a little better after this particularly stressful year. — LA, GMA News