Happy holiday season everyone!
Not only ‘tis the season of winter wonderlands and sleigh rides, ‘tis also the season of giving.
Exchanging gifts during the holidays can be a fun and mutually rewarding experience, but sometimes you have someone on your list who throws you for a loop.
Maybe you have to buy a gift for a niece you don’t know as well as you should, or you pulled the name of a very distant relative for the annual gift exchange.
Don’t panic, CivicScience has your back. We collect tons of data every day that give us valuable insights into the buying habits and opinions of countless groups of people, and our gift to you this season is a gift buying guide for certain hard-to-shop-for people in your life.
We get it, young people might as well be speaking a different #language these days (“back in my day we called it a pound sign!”). Their interests change at the speed of the internet. Out of empathy for all parties involved, this is the target we’re covering.
Below are 7 gift ideas for the hard-to-shop-for teenage girl in your life.*
*Keep in mind that this is not a definitive or comprehensive guide to the nuanced teenage girl psyche. Rather, it’s a look at what our data show as the majority opinion of U.S. females between the ages of 13 and 17.
What we’re saying is, our numbers are pretty solid, but we’re not psychic, so get a gift receipt.
1. A Coffee Shop Gift Card
Our data show that 50% of teenage girls drink coffee at least occasionally, and 24% drink it most days or every day.
But coffee shops serve more than just coffee, so they can attract fans of all kinds of beverages. In fact, 37% of teenage girls respond favorably to Dunkin’ Donuts, but the majority prefer the Frappuccino® to the Dunkaccino®, it seems, because 57% hold a favorable view of Starbucks.
2. A Movie Download
When it comes to catching a flick, 71% of teenage girls would rather watch a movie at home than go out to the theater.
So get her a download of a movie she’s had her eye on, while curled up at home with a Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate or a Starbucks Chai Latte!
3. A Streaming Service Subscription
Or better yet, start her on a new streaming service subscription, or cover a month’s cost of a current subscription.
44% of teenage girls say that online streaming is the primary way they watch TV.
Which service?
• 47% subscribe to Netflix
• 16% subscribe to Amazon Prime Video
• 13% subscribe to Hulu.
4. A Video Game
Almost ¼ of teenage girls play video games daily, and 17% more play video games monthly or weekly.
So don’t let the stereotypes fool you. You may have a gamer girl on your hands.
5. A New Book
81% of U.S. females aged 13-17 say that they at least like books, so you can’t go wrong with that.
And when they read, they prefer physical copies. 47% of readers like new books, 36% like used books, and only 14% prefer eBooks.
What genre to get? Literature, sci-fi, or thriller, most likely.
• 33% like thriller/crime/mystery/suspense
• 30% like literature
• 28% like sci-fi
• 19% like self-help
• 17% like biographies
• 14% like romance
6. A Cookbook
As long as you’re at the bookstore, it couldn’t hurt to check out the cookbook section, since 63% of teenage girls answer that they like to cook.
As for what kind of cookbook to get, it’s hard to go wrong with an all-purpose, but if you’re worried about dietary restrictions, here’s a breakdown:
• 15% are on the Paleo diet
• 10% limit gluten intake
• 6% are vegetarian
• 5% are vegan
• 5% are fully gluten-free.
7. Exercise Equipment or a Fitness App Subscription
Overall, this is a pretty fit and healthy demographic. 71% of teenage girls answer that health and fitness are important to them, and 61% exercise several times a month or more, with 40% exercising several times a week.
A gym membership is a good thought, but tricky. 59% of teenage girls don’t go to the gym at all, but those who do are more likely to go weekly, if not more.
Another option is a fitness app subscription they can use from the comfort of home (remember how they feel about going out to the movies…) or an activity-specific gift like running shoes, yoga mats, or a fancy water bottle.
As for the activities that teenage girls tend to participate in:
• 33% do some kind of cardio
• 22% participate in competitive sports (likely on a school team/squad)
• 23% do strength training
• 20% do yoga or Pilates
We hope that this guide was helpful to you this gift-giving season.
Again, this isn’t meant as the authoritative teenage girl handbook, but as a whiteboard to give you some ideas for your holiday shopping.
Let us know in the comments or on social media who you want us to write a guide for next!
Best of luck, and happy shopping!
