We wish you a circular Christmas

We wish you a circular Christmas

A third of Brits are more likely to gift rented items this Christmas than ever before

Christmas is fast approaching and with gift lists being finalised and trees being bought, people have started to think about the cost of this festive season. With many admitting they have less to spend this year,  we have set out to find out if you could save by having a circular Christmas instead.

Our research has revealed that you could save £1,094 on a wishlist of products for the festive season. 

We also found out how much on average you could save on the categories; festive fashion, festive decor, tech gifts and hosting. To do this, we analysed 60 products across each of the categories, such as mobile phones, party dresses and Christmas trees, and compared the cost of renting them vs buying them outright. 

As well as conducting our rental product analysis, we have also surveyed 2,000 UK adults on their attitudes towards renting during the festive period, revealing that a third of Brits are more likely to gift rented items this Christmas than ever before and over a quarter of Brits agree that they are more likely to rent things like decorations and party outfits during this festive period than ever before (26.84%).

A third of Brits are more likely to gift rented items this Christmas than ever before

43% of men are more likely to gift rented items this Christmas than ever before, compared to 15% of women

Those aged 16-24 are more likely to gift rented items this Christmas than ever before

Over a quarter of Brits agree that they are more likely to rent things like festive decorations and party outfits during this festive period than ever before

This pull towards rental is in addition to 62% of Brits who are planning to gift second-hand or refurbished items this Christmas - with saving money due to the cost of living revealed as the top reason (43%)...

To celebrate a circular Christmas, we’ve selected nine popular festive items you can rent this year instead of buying, to show you how much you could save. From a spare table to host extra guests, to a games console for the kids, find out how you could save over £1k by renting your Christmas…

Here’s how you can save £1,094 on a Christmas rental shop

Save an average of £172 per item across festive fashion, tech gifting, festive decor and hosting

Average savings across festive fashion category

Average savings across tech gifting category

Average savings across hosting category

Average savings across festive decor category

These are the biggest rental savings by item

£565

Designer handbag

£500

iPhone 13 Pro Max

£441

iPhone 14

Here’s how much you can save on a range of other popular items

Nintendo Switch V2

Rent for £180, Buy for £280, Save £100

iPhone 11

Rent for £216, Buy for £380, Save £164

Designer party dress

Rent for £57, Buy for £375, Save £318

Did you know you can even rent a 6ft Nutcracker or even Santa’s sleigh? If you’re planning to go all out this year

6ft Nutcracker

Save £340 by renting a 6ft Nutcracker for 3 days



Santa's sleigh

Save £1,649 by renting Santa’s sleigh for 3 days

Discussing the environmental benefits of renting this Christmas, Sam Vesey, Chief Sustainability Officer at musicMagpie, said: “As well as the financial benefits people can expect from renting, there can be significant environmental benefits too. Whether that’s reducing our fashion consumption, ensuring Christmas trees are replanted, or tech doesn’t end up in the back of drawers collecting dust, the move towards a circular economy is essential for protecting our planet.

“It’s great to see that people are starting to recognise these benefits and are becoming more open to the idea of renting products and services over ownership - the rental revolution is truly underway!”

An estimated 160,000 tonnes of Christmas trees are dumped each January. Renting a Christmas tree ensures your tree is returned after Christmas, to be looked after and to live another year!

Christmas tree

Save £15 by renting a 6ft Christmas tree for 2 weeks

Discussing the findings,  Steve Oliver, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at musicMagpie, said: “With many of us looking at ways we can cut down on costs this festive period, it’s clear from our research that renting is an effective way to do so. Renting an item instead of buying it outright can allow people to still wear that special Christmas party dress, buy the tech their kids are hoping for, and decorate the house for family gatherings, for much less.”  

If you’re looking to rent a tech gift this Christmas, check out our range of devices available to rent, from the latest iPhone 14 to tablets, consoles and more!

Methodology

  • The research compared prices of renting popular Christmas items versus buying them outright. The data was analysed across four categories - festive fashion, festive decor, hosting and tech gifting
  • Prices were all correct as of 16/11/2022
  • Google Merchant Centre was used to determine the most popular items across each category
  • Popular rental websites were used to find average rental prices compared to purchase price. Hurr, MossBros, ChristmasTreeWorld, IKEA, Esty, MadhattersFancyDress, Smiffys, LondonChristmasTreeRental, ChristmasTreeRentals, XmasDirect, EventHire, StrictlyTablesAndChairs and musicMagpie were used, as they provided the widest product offering for each category item 
  • For musicMagpie’s products, the device with the lowest available storage capacity was compared, and all refurbished devices were in ‘very good’ condition
  • Full data and sources available on request