Let's face it: Holiday shopping isn't "coming up" if you plan to shop online, it's already here. This year, online shopping -- the Millennial way to spend -- has made the buying process quicker, easier and trendier, but it also adds excess choices into that which should be a simple gifting decision.
If you're like most people, you spend a lot of time picking out that perfect gift for your friends, family members and loved ones. You want to find one that's just right -- not too big and not too small, in size and price. Once you've find that golden gift, the complementary stocking stuffer is usually not much more than an afterthought. But that's all changing now that Millennials and technology are defining how we shop and what's fashionable to buy.
Before the Internet became a commerce medium and "technology" became a main section of just about every major news source, tangible tech was given to you as a necessity when, say, you started, a new job, but not as a holiday present for entertainment and enjoyment. Oh, how the times have changed. Nowadays, tech is one of the most popular categories of gifts to give. Why? Because now we simply see technology as being much more relevant to our daily lives.
The Millennial generation, also known as Generation Y, is at the forefront of this shift towards making tech and digitally-inspired items popular for both playtime and leisure. Now an electronic bracelet can fetch data on your daily activities and habits, from jogging to sleeping. A small box can stream music straight from our phone. We're even wearing tech and aligning our "wearable tech" choices with our moods in what we call "forward-thinking" fashion statements. (Google Glass, anyone?)
Small, smart things that go a long way -- that's how Millennials are gifting.
Since small things are now some of the most in demand gifts, the term "stocking stuffers" has taken on a new meaning. Stocking stuffers have long been known as the quick, add-on gifts we can have a bit more fun with. Grab a gumball-machine plastic toy as an inside joke here, add a novelty gift there and you're good to go. But now with small tech-oriented items -- those that actually fit in stockings -- gaining popularity as the most desired gifts, the selection of stocking stuffer gifts is expanding exponentially, and it's getting harder for Millennials and non-Millennials alike to decide on just one.
I consulted editors at AskMen, one of the editorial voices with a finger on the pulse of Generation Y, to see what Millennials are gifting in their stockings this year. Askmen is a leading online authority on Millennial trends that speaks to the culture and advises on buying. Not surprisingly, they opted for mainly small, tech-inspired stocking stuffers for women, men and children that "add a creative touch to the gifts you're already gifting." Below you'll find AskMen editors' top picks out of their stocking stuffers for women, stocking stuffers for men and stocking stuffers for kids guides, for those who want to give gifts Millennial-style.
