Why Experience Gifts Are Growing
Experience gifts are growing because the research keeps pointing the same way: people report more happiness from experiences than from objects, and experience gifts bring giver and recipient closer. Most givers still choose objects, so there is room to grow. Market estimates differ, but they all show the category expanding, with Europe one of its largest regions.
How big is the experience gift market?
Market researchers now track experience gifts as their own category. Arizton valued the global experience-gift market at USD 118.17 billion in 2023 and expects USD 171.52 billion by 2029, a yearly growth rate of 6.41% (Arizton via ResearchAndMarkets, 2025). Estimates differ between research firms, so treat any single number with care. Europe accounted for over 39% of global revenue in 2023.
Who is driving the shift to experience gifts?
Younger adults started the change. A Harris Poll for Eventbrite found 78% of US millennials would rather spend on an experience than on a desirable object, and 72% wanted to increase spending on experiences the following year (Eventbrite/Harris Poll, 2014). An Ipsos follow-up three years later showed the same preference, with three in four millennials choosing experiences (Eventbrite/Ipsos, 2017).
In Spain, a lastminute.com survey found two in three people would rather receive an experience or a trip than something material (Diario del Viajero, 2017).
Why do people end up with so many unwanted gifts?
Unwanted gifts are common. In the UK, 58% of adults have received at least one, with an estimated £1.27 billion spent on them (Finder, 2024). A separate survey found 31% of people put unwanted presents out of sight in a cupboard (Oxfam GB, 2023).
In Spain, an Ayuda en Acción survey of over 2,500 people found more than 70% said their amigo invisible gift went unused, while 72.8% said they would prefer an experience (Ayuda en Acción, 2020). It was run on social media, so it is not representative, but it matches what many people feel at Christmas.
How does Christmas spending pressure affect gift choices?
Christmas is expensive in Spain. The OCU puts average spend at €796 per person in 2025, of which €370 goes on gifts, and 52% of people spend more than they planned (OCU, 2025). A Shopfully and YouGov study found Spaniards planning earlier, estimating €312 of average spend, and naming amigo invisible and experience gifts as ways to stay in control (Marketing Directo, 2025).
When money is tight, one gift that actually gets used is worth more than several that stay in a drawer.
What does research say about why experiences work better?
Researchers have studied this for more than twenty years. Van Boven and Gilovich found across surveys and experiments that people rated experiential purchases as making them happier than material ones. Experiences are more open to positive reinterpretation, become part of identity, and strengthen relationships (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003).
Chan and Mogilner later showed through four experiments with real gift exchanges that experiential gifts strengthen the giver-recipient relationship more than material gifts. The boost comes from the emotions felt while using the gift, not from unwrapping it (Journal of Consumer Research, 2017).
Shared experiences matter most: experiences done alone are valued no more than possessions (Caprariello & Reis, 2013). And waiting for an experience is more pleasurable than waiting for an object (Kumar, Killingsworth & Gilovich, 2014).
What should you consider when choosing an experience gift?
Pick something the recipient will actually do. The value comes from using it, so choose a local class or workshop that fits easily into a normal week. A gift certificate valid for 12 months that can be swapped for another maker gives flexibility when plans change, and if a maker closes there is a refund or swap. Glad You Liked certificates work this way with makers in Barcelona, Madrid and Tbilisi.
Questions
Are experience gifts really more popular than they used to be?
Yes. Surveys since 2014 show most US millennials prefer spending on experiences rather than objects. Arizton estimates the global experience-gift market will grow from USD 118.17 billion in 2023 to USD 171.52 billion by 2029, at 6.41% a year, with Europe over 39% of revenue.
Why do people prefer experiences over things?
Experiences are remembered more fondly, become part of who we are and connect us with others. As gifts, they bring giver and recipient closer because of the emotion felt while doing the activity. Shared experiences drive most of the advantage.
Do experience gifts reduce waste?
They avoid a common problem. In the UK, 58% of adults have received an unwanted Christmas gift and 31% hide them in cupboards. In one Spanish social-media survey, over 70% said their amigo invisible gift went unused. An experience that gets used leaves a memory instead of an object in a drawer.
What does an experience gift cost?
It depends on the maker and the city. On Glad You Liked in Barcelona, a one-hour coffee cupping costs €30 and a mosaic coaster workshop €32. Glad Pick for Me, where we choose the experience, is €30 or €50 per person.