Have you already purchased your Christmas shopping or do you run around last minute panic buying?
With massive amounts being spent again this year on Christmas ads from retail giants such as John Lewis, M&S, Aldi and more – employing the services of bands like Elbow and characters such as Paddington Bear – it may come as a surprise to retailers to learn that, according to recent research from ebay.co.uk, 28% of Brits actually have their Christmas shopping all wrapped up by the month of September!
The research showed that more than half of us have at least started our Christmas shopping before the Christmas ads had even aired and as most people would probably expect, the first presents on the shopping list are the ones we buy for our kids.
For most families, poor old dad is last on the list to get his present bought, but then I guess that serves him right for being so forgetful himself!
It’s interesting to note that some shoppers also prioritise buying gifts for those who have shown the best reaction in the past to receiving them, so be sure to show yourself thankful this year if you want to have a present in your stocking next time around.
When it comes to the cost and volume of gift giving, the study found that the average household will buy a whopping 48 gifts this year, with an average total spend of £747.78. It was also stated that a total of 1.1 billion presents will be bought this year by Brits alone.
It seems that there are also some regional and demographical differences in how the nation is likely to shop for Christmas. For instance, it was found that while most people set out to buy those all important Christmas toys first, shoppers in the North East are the only ones in the country to buck this trend, choosing to buy clothing first instead.
Shoppers in Leeds are apparently the most ’emotional’ shoppers, with the study finding that almost 20% of shoppers in this area will buy gifts first for those who they know are going to make the most fuss or show the most appreciation.
When it comes to age and gender, it was found that women in Brighton aged 16-24 are the most secretive shoppers, men in Norwich who are 55+ are the least secretive and young women in Belfast are the most organised, with around a quarter of them starting to shop before September had even begun.
Clearly, then, competition is going to be hot for retailers during this vital trading period, so you can expect there to be some great offers up for grabs when Black Friday and Cyber Monday come around.
In fact, we can already see big discounts starting to appear on major websites, with eBay’s own Christmas shopping page listing discounts of up to 40% on tech, for example.
Be careful not to leave your shopping too late, though, as if the research is to be believed, you may just find that there are no presents left to buy.
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