Headsets: New Year's gifts went up by 15%
New Year's gifts in 2025 have risen in price by about 15% compared to last year, analysts told Izvestia. As small gifts, they mostly buy books, beauty kits, sweets and Christmas tree toys — vintage or in the "Soviet" style. The average price of such a gift is from 500 rubles to 1,9 thousand. Spending on more expensive items — electronics, smart home appliances, and luxury cosmetics — amounts to 11-13 thousand. Experts noted that revenue is growing this season, among other things, due to the earlier start of sales - trade began to prepare for the holiday in October and November. About what else the Russians are planning to give, see the Izvestia article.
What are Russians going to give for the New Year?
This year, New Year's gifts for relatives, relatives, friends and colleagues will cost 15% more than in the past, analysts told Izvestia. The most popular segment of purchases is small gifts. And this year they are actively buying not only ordinary garlands. They buy new-fangled LED lights with toy figures. In addition, sweet sets, gift baskets with tea, sweets and other fillings, sets of Christmas Tree toys and sparkling wine are on trend, the OFD Platform company told Izvestia.
"Consumer activity in the market of New Year's gifts and paraphernalia significantly depends on weather conditions," the analysts noted. — Traditionally, the largest sales volume is formed in the central regions of Russia, however, as last year, stable snow cover has not been established here. Nevertheless, against the background of the low base of last year, the sales dynamics turned out to be higher.
The cost of a set of sweets averages 664 rubles, which is 10% higher than last year. A Christmas garland with figurines will cost 1,903 rubles (+7%). Gift baskets have also increased in price by 7%, and you will have to spend an average of 1,207 rubles on them. A set of Christmas tree toys costs 506 rubles (+14% compared to last year).
According to Avito, Russians began actively preparing for the holiday back in November. Book sales increased by 13% compared to October. Classic gift sets, such as cosmetic and beauty gifts, as well as tea, coffee and cocoa, remain relevant: demand for them increased by 11% over the month.
There is still interest in hobby-related gifts. For example, sales of bass guitars increased by 15%, and semi-acoustic guitars — by 6%. A particularly noticeable increase — almost twofold — was recorded in the category of "Soviet" New Year's toys.
— Another trend this season is home appliances with artificial intelligence functions. Over the past month, demand for it has increased by 12%. In addition, they often bought air purifiers, as well as hair dryers and stylers (17%) and vacuum cleaners (12%).
In terms of the number of items purchased in the gift category, children's toys are in the lead at Wildberries, the marketplace's press service told Izvestia.
—Sales of sweets and festive food sets also increased by about 60%, as well as perfume sets by 70%," they said.
In December, the share of sales of New Year's goods increased to 37%, said Maxim Kiryanov, Director of Marketing and communications for the modi brand of emotional goods. Sweets, toys, and themed household goods are always in the lead (both in units and in rubles).
"New Year's mugs are becoming sales hits: they often look unusual, for example, in the form of a snowman, a cat entangled in a garland, or a gingerbread house," he said. — In recent years, there has been a progressive trend towards Advent calendars. The average check in the New Year period traditionally increases by 15%.
What is popular as expensive gifts
In the New Year's Eve period of 2025, Russians are increasingly choosing the formats of sets, boxes and Advent calendars as gifts, the Golden Apple press service reported.
The most noticeable monetary dynamics in the network was recorded in late November and early December 2025: demand was 40% higher than in the same period of 2024, and over the past week, interest in this category has increased by another 6%. There is a particularly growing demand for advent calendars with decorative cosmetics, as well as multi-format boxes containing makeup, care products and accessories.
— In 2025, the trend towards rationality and comparison of content has intensified: buyers carefully evaluate the composition, the "price per unit" within the set and choose the optimal balance of budget and content. This is reflected in monetary indicators: the average bill for Advent calendars decreased by 9% year-on—year and now stands at about 7 thousand rubles, they added.
The press service of Cooper noted that this year Russians most often choose electronics, cosmetics and perfumes, as well as gift certificates, as New Year's gifts.
— The average amount that Russians plan to spend on gifts is about 9,5 thousand rubles. In large cities, the budget is traditionally higher — 11-13 thousand rubles. This is slightly higher than last year's level — then most buyers expected to meet 5-10 thousand rubles, they said.
According to Wildberries, smartphone turnover in November and early December increased by 140% compared to the same period last year. Sales of game consoles, primarily PlayStation 5, also increased significantly — by 70%. Tablets also showed positive dynamics (+58%).
The Ozon press service reported that the main trend this year is that people are increasingly interested in high-tech gifts.
— Relaxation gadgets are gaining popularity: electric massagers for eyes and face have grown 6.5 times, hair dryer brushes have more than tripled, — they said. — Along with them, devices for creativity are also popular.: The demand for compact cameras has doubled. At the same time, smart home accessories have become the sales leader in the electronics segment with a 12-fold increase.
Russians are also actively interested in niche products for creativity.: The demand for items for making toys and jewelry jumped 2.2 times, for jewelry equipment — more than three times, and for souvenirs made by own design — 7.6 times.
In addition to equipment and products for beauty and creativity, there was a high interest in children's toys. They are buying radio-controlled models: they were ordered almost three times more often. Accessories for dolls have become extremely popular — they have increased by 4.2 times, as well as dolls for hairstyles and makeup — they have increased by more than three times. There has been a significant increase in interest in designers: the demand for wooden and ceramic sets has approximately doubled.
How to choose gifts
This year, the festive assortment appeared in stores and online channels much earlier than in the previous season, experts from the OFD Platform noted.
"This approach shifted the start of active sales to October, providing significant revenue even before the onset of calendar winter," the analysts added. — In November, the positive dynamics continued due to large-scale promotions.
In 2025, nostalgia has become an absolute trend, which manifests itself in visual images that refer to childhood memories, Maxim Kiryanov believes.
"The sales hits were products with carpet prints and a traditional piggy bank," he noted. — The retro style became especially noticeable in the New Year's decor collections, when Soviet toys and bright attributes from the noughties began to shine on the shelves nearby. This trend is explained by the desire to return to a carefree childhood.
The unexpected popularity of memes and various humorous references has also come to Russian retail. Such integrations instantly become hits among modern teenagers and young people.
—The alpha and zoom generations strive to find understandable and familiar linguistic and visual elements in their purchased products that make them smile for no reason," said Maxim Kiryanov. — Such demand creates a supply that becomes relevant for a wider audience of older generations.
A separate trend is secret boxes (surprise boxes), which are born out of the need for vivid emotions, intrigue and the expectation of surprises.
Gifts work as a social signal: they say "I see you" and strengthen the bond between people, said Valeria Andreeva, a clinical psychologist at the Proseb service.
— From the point of view of the brain, this is pure chemistry — waiting and receiving a gift triggers the release of dopamine, the "hormone of joy and anticipation," the expert explained. — If a gift has touched your soul, oxytocin, the "attachment hormone" that makes a relationship warmer, can also connect.
At the same time, generosity is also a source of pleasure for the giver himself. There is even a phenomenon of "helper euphoria": when we do something good for others, the brain rewards us with a slight emotional boost, as if the person himself received a gift.
— Very often we unconsciously choose as a gift what we like ourselves, — said Valeria Andreeva. — Psychologists call this projection. Sometimes we look back at the norm of reciprocity, unwittingly measuring the gift with what was given to us. And, of course, the choice is influenced by tradition and social context: a gift to a friend will be different from a gift to a boss.
A gift is a communication, its main meaning is not the price, but the meaning embedded in it, the expert emphasized. An expensive gift can express both deep respect and a desire to impress or even symbolically "buy off". A modest gift, chosen with sincere attention to interests and needs, often indicates a warm personal attitude.
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