Complice.ro, the experience gift balance: Women want men to learn how to cook, and men want women to relax and learn about wines

2023 marked an increase in interest in experiential gifts on Complice.ro, a curator and provider of experiences for individuals and companies. The interest continues during the gift-giving month, traditionally experiencing a 75% increase in demand for experiences compared to a normal month.

Last year, the peak of orders was on December 22. In 2023, women have spent an average of 115 euros on an experience gift, while men have allocated 133 euros. Both values are at least 15% higher than the amounts allocated last year.

„Women place orders somewhat earlier than men, who usually make gift choices at the last minute. Last year, most orders were placed between December 17 and 22, and flexible experience packages were chosen, with immediate delivery to the inbox through a personalized voucher describing the experiences the recipient can enjoy,” says Oana Pascu, founder of Complice.ro.

In December, flexible packages, with multiple experiences from which the recipient chooses their favorite within a predefined budget (Flexibox), are among the top preferences for both personal gifts and gifts among colleagues for Secret Santa or corporate awards.

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Women vs. men. What experiences each prefers and who spends more.

On an annual level, Complice.ro’s figures show that women lead significantly in terms of the number of orders (70%), a trend that continues in December. However, men spend, on average, 15% more than women per order (115 euros vs. 133 euros).

Top chosen experiences include adrenaline activities such as piloting an airplane, paragliding, or helicopter flights, as well as gourmet experiences like private wine tastings at wineries, whiskey tastings, craft beer workshops, or relaxation experiences such as massages or floatation therapy. Travel experiences with accommodations in unique and exclusive places are also popular.

Flying in a Boeing simulator is, as in previous years, one of the favorite experiences for Complice’s customers, followed by paragliding, treasure hunts, floatation therapy, and VR experiences.

“Cooking classes have attracted a significantly larger number of men (63%), while for floatation therapy, it is surprising to note that one in four clients is male. There is also an increased interest from women in adrenaline-pumping experiences such as paragliding (46% women), physical activities like climbing (60%), and gourmet experiences, where the majority of beneficiaries are women, even in wine tastings at wineries (60%)” , analyzes Oana Pascu.

Top experience gifts based on recipient categories

“Customers choose to place experience gifts under the tree especially for uniqueness, to surprise their loved ones, to offer something different, something memorable, something they have not received before. Of course, the chosen gifts must take into account the recipient’s preferences, personality, but if we were to make some general recommendations based on discussions, feedback, and over 8 years of experience, we can select the most suitable experiences,” says Oana Pascu, founder of Complice.ro.

According to the company’s representatives, the most appreciated experiences based on recipient categories are:

For HIM: a flight simulator experience, a cooking workshop, whiskey tasting, tennis lessons, paragliding.

For HER: an olfactory workshop to create their own perfume, a beauty package, makeup or spa, a private terrarium workshop, floatation therapy.

For CHILDREN: a helicopter ride to the sea, painting classes, VR games, treasure hunt in the park, escape room.

For GRANDPARENTS: a chocolate workshop with grandchildren or an autobiography written by a professional ghostwriter, which will remain a legacy in the family library.

For GODPARENTS: a private „blind” dinner prepared by a famous chef, a ride in a vintage car, a weekend in a unique location, couples massage, squash match.

“And for cases where you don’t exactly know what your loved one would truly like, then a Flexibox gift is the best choice. Flexibox packages contain dozens of variants of experiential gifts from various categories – adrenaline, gourmet, relaxation, travel, etc., in a predefined budget, and the recipient chooses their preferred experience,” adds Oana Pascu.

December – the month of corporate events

On an annual level, the average value of experience packages chosen by companies, either at the team level or for awards and individual gifts on various occasions, including Christmas, is around 2000 euros, and most requests have come from companies in the IT, retail, banking, and creative industries.