New research has suggested that this could be the year for online shopping to surpass Christmas spending on the high street across the UK.
Global information management firm SDL surveyed 2,000 adults across the UK about where they were going to purchase their Christmas presents.
The report revealed how 54.2 per cent of overall Christmas spend will be done online this year, 40 per cent in stores with the remainder coming from mail order catalogues and TV shopping channels.
Other findings by SDL:
1. 8.9 per cent of Internet shopping will be done on a smartphone or tablet.
2. 25- to 34-year-olds are most likely to buy gifts using a mobile device or tablet (15 per cent).
3. 6.8 per cent of shoppers will do the majority of Christmas shopping online during working hours.
4. More than half of over 55-year-olds (54.8 per cent) will do their Christmas shopping in stores.
5. Convenience and price are the top factors influencing Christmas shopping decision-making on the Internet: web discounts (36.8 per cent), getting the best deal online (31.9 per cent) and the convenience of shopping from home (30.9 per cent).
6. In-store decision-making is influenced mostly by the ability to evaluate products in person (44.5 per cent).
7. 55.8 per cent of adults said they visited traditional bricks-and-mortar stores to test products before then buying them online – a practice known as ‘showrooming’.
“While the data from those surveyed showed that more money will be spent online, we believe the shopping season will be made up of customers experiencing brands through multiple channels,” said Bob Hale of SDL.
© 2012 Profitero
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