The holiday season can be a stressful time, especially when it comes to finding the perfect gift and ensuring it arrives on time. According to a recent study, more than half of Americans experience gift-giving stress. Concerns about on-time delivery are so common that people often share holiday shipping deadlines for various services.
In a series of upcoming studies to be published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, researchers have found that people tend to overestimate the negative consequences of sending a late gift. This is largely due to the fact that gift givers are more focused on societal norms surrounding gift-giving than the recipients themselves.
For example, there is a common belief that gifts should be new and not used. However, many recipients are open to receiving pre-owned items. Similarly, there is a misconception that a late gift will signal a lack of care for the recipient and harm the relationship. In reality, recipients are much less concerned about when a gift arrives.
To test how concerns about lateness affect gift choice, researchers conducted online studies leading up to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They found that the fear of a late delivery led participants to choose cheaper, more prompt options over more expensive, late-arriving gifts.
Interestingly, participants in another study believed that they could compensate for a late gift by putting in extra effort, such as assembling an item by hand rather than purchasing it preassembled. This suggests that the thought and care put into a gift can outweigh the timeliness of its delivery.
While sending a gift late may not be as detrimental as previously thought, it is still important to remember that recipients value receiving a gift, even if it arrives a few months late. In fact, not receiving anything at all is seen as more damaging to a relationship than receiving a belated gift.
So, if you find yourself unable to get your hands on that popular gaming console or virtual reality headset this holiday season, remember that a late gift is better than no gift at all. Your thoughtfulness and effort will be appreciated, regardless of the timing of the delivery.
