When it comes to gift baskets, men and women have somewhat different reasons, tastes and budgets according to a recent gift baskets survey by online gift retailer It’s In The Stars.

Men buy more gift baskets for colleagues, clients, employees
While both sexes buy gift baskets for friends (82.1% of men vs 78.4% of women) and family (69.2% vs 74.8%), men are far more likely than women to buy them for colleagues (64.1% vs 36.0%), clients (64.1% vs 21.6%), and employees (35.9% vs 18.0%).

Gift baskets are an easy, no-fuss gift option
Since women are regarded by both sexes as better gift-buyers, it may be no surprise that more women than men see gift baskets as easy, no-fuss gift options (72.3% vs 64.1%). Women are more likely than men to believe that gift baskets make an impressive-looking gift (67.0% vs 51.3%).

Nonetheless, since men buy gift baskets for a much wider range of celebratory events than women, have more cash to spend, and often forget birthdays and anniversaries, this may explain why they are more likely than women to view gift baskets as last-minute emergency gift options (59.0% vs 49.1%), fun (53.8% vs 50.9%) and affordable (48.7% vs 25.9%).

Men spend more than women on gift baskets
Three in four men (76.9%) spend over $100 on gift baskets with their top five inclusions being gift certificates (71.8%), jams & spreads (64.1%), chocolates & sweets and champagne/wine/spirits (61.5% each), and BBQ food & accessories (59.0%).

Two-thirds of women (66.7%) spend under $100, typically selecting gift baskets with chocolates (69.4%), champagne/wine/spirits (60.4%), baby toys & clothing (57.7%), bath/beauty/body products (55.9%), and flowers (50.5%).

Men more likely to buy gift baskets with gift certificates
Chocolate and champagne are perennially popular gift basket inclusions for everyone but since men spend much more on gift baskets than women,  it would seem they might also have the money to include gift certificates to extend the gift experience for the recipient with 71.0% of men including gift certificates vs only 22.5% of women.

They are also far more willing to spend more on a gift basket that includes a personalised gift than women (89.5% vs 76.1%).

Men and women have different occasions for gift baskets
The top five most popular gift occasions for men to give gift baskets are Christmas (73.0%), birthdays (67.6%), Mother’s Day (59.5%), and Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day (56.8% each) while the top five gift basket occasions for women are new babies (74.1%), birthdays (65.7%), Christmas (55.6%), and Mother’s Day and housewarmings/new homes (36.1% each).

Overall, the top three gift basket occasions are new babies (69.0%), birthdays (66.2%) and Christmas (60.0%).

The only two gift occasions where men and women buy in near-identical rates are birthdays (67.6% vs 65.7%), and housewarmings/new homes (37.8% vs 36.1%).

Men and women are equally likely to buy gift baskets with champagne/wine/spirits (61.5% vs 60.4%), bath/beauty/body products (56.4% vs 55.9%), and fruit (30.8% vs 30.6%).

Read the monthly stars for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.