Clothing continues to top gift lists this holiday season. In fact clothing is expected to be given by 53 percent of shoppers, followed by gift cards at 46 percent, toys at 39 percent, books/music/movies/video games at 35 percent and food/candy at 31 percent as the top five categories, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Gift cards remain a perennial favorite for the flexibility afforded to recipients, with spending expected to total $28.1 billion, the highest since $29.9 billion in 2018. Shoppers plan to buy an average three or four cards this year with an average $48.92 per card, including restaurant cards (cited by 32 percent), department store cards (26 percent), bank-issued gift cards (also 26 percent) and coffee shop cards (20 percent).
For those buying for children, top toys for boys this year include 1) Lego, 2) cars and trucks, 3) Hot Wheels, 4) PlayStation, 5) video games, 6) Nerf, 7) Paw Patrol, 8) remote control car, 9) Xbox and 10) Pokémon. For girls, the top toys are 1) Barbie, 2) doll, 3) LOL dolls, 4) Lego, 5) Apple products/smartphone, 6) American Girl, baby dolls (tied), 7) apparel/accessories, Frozen (tied), 8) Disney/Disney princess, 9) beauty products and 10) Nintendo Switch.