Every year, there is the one holiday present that causes a shopping frenzy -- many still remember the fights, arrests and trampling of one Walmart (WMT) employee over Tickle Me Elmos in 1996 and retailer websites crashing over people rushing to buy a PlayStation 5 console nearly 25 years later.
While a lot of the fighting has moved online, there are still gifts that Americans are looking to buy above all others this holiday season.
According to data pulled together by coupon and cashback site Rakuten from more than 3,500 U.S.-based stores, Sony (SNEJF) 's PlayStation 5 is still the most in-demand gift this holiday season -- Google Trends (GOOGL) searches for it surpassed every other item in 13 states including Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Utah.
AirPods For Arizonians, Dyson Hair Styler For New Yorkers
Nintendo Switch (NTDOF) was the second most searched-for item this holiday season. It topped the search list in 10 states among which are Montana, Oregon, Iowa and Georgia.
Those living in states like Hawaii, Tennessee, Indiana and West Virginia are searching most for Apple (AAPL)'s iPad while the AirPods are the fourth most popular item this holiday season. The MacBook, whether the Air or heavier-duty Pro, topped the list in just Maryland and Vermont.
"Another Apple product makes the list with AirPods ranking as the fourth most in-demand item across America this Christmas," write the study's authors. "A total of six states searched for AirPods more than any other item with states including Kansas, Wyoming, North Carolina and Arizona."
New Yorkers, Pennsylvanians, Alabamans and Wisconsinites all searched for the Dyson Airwrap above all other potential gifts. The combined hair curler, straightener, dryer and styler retailing for $599.00 is highly popular among fashionistas and beauty junkies. It was the most popular gift in those four states and the sixth most popular one across the country.
"The item has gone viral on TikTok over the last year, with the hashtag #DysonAirwrap amassing 3.2 billion views on the platform," write Rakuten's authors. Other popular gifts this year include the Apple Watch, the Samsung Galaxy watch and the Meta TICKER Oculus headset. Each one topped Google Trends search lists in at least one state.
Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox Series X console topped the list in states like Connecticut and South Carolina and was the season's fifth most popular gift.
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A Holiday Shopping Season Like No Other
While expensive gifts like PS5 and the Airwrap are as in-demand as ever, inflation has certainly made itself felt in people's shopping habits this holiday season.
According to Deloitte's 37th annual Holiday Retail Survey, the average shopper plans to buy nine holiday gifts instead of the 16 purchased in 2021. An even more harrowing statistic is that the amount people spend on gifts is nearly unchanged for $501 in 2021 to $507 now. Many popular toys and electronics are getting more expensive and consumers are staying within budget by cutting certain people from their shopping list.
Nearly 40% of people polled by Deloitte felt that their financial situation is worse than it was last year
"What's informing this holiday season is a consumer who has lived with inflation for a year," Steve Rogers, the managing director of Deloitte's Consumer Industry Center, told TheStreet in an October interview. "They are living within the same cost envelope but reducing the number of gifts that [they're] buying. So hopefully you've been nice to your favorite aunt and are on her list."
