The UK is planning a £24.4bn Christmas gift shopping spree, with 760.4m gifts poised to be shared on the big day.
According to new research from programmatic marketing technology specialists RadiumOne, 98% of consumers over 16 years of age will give Christmas presents this year, spending on average £489.04. The most generous gift givers are 25-34 year olds (averaging £665) and those living in London (£767), while, regionally, people in Yorkshire & the Humber will spend the least (£378). Those earning at least £80,000 a year will spend £1,608 on presents compared to £329 by those earning under £20,000.
The average Christmas gift giver will buy 14.8 presents for 8.3 people, with women much more prolific givers (17.8) than men (11.7). Despite spending the most money on presents, Londoners will buy the least amount (11.5) while people in the West Midlands will buy the most (17.4).
The most popular gifts purchased will be entertainment-related (63%), clothes (57%) and food & drink (47%).”‹
Reliance on the high street is fading. When it comes to gift-buying, many consumers intend to avoid the high street altogether. Among those who know how they‘ll buy their Christmas gifts, less than one in seven (13%) will do both their research and shopping in-store. Older shoppers (55+) (23%), people in Wales (30%) and those earning over £80,000 (19%) are the most likely to shop in this traditional way.
Among those who know how they‘ll buy their gifts, researching and buying online is the most popular method – 45% plan to do this, rising to 58% of 45-54 year olds. In terms of income, people earning less than £20,000 are the most likely to do this (53%) whilst regionally it‘s people in the South West (51%).
Two in five people are still to decide whether to do their gift research and shopping online or on the high street; deals (68%), convenience (62%) and time (45%) will be the deciding factors.
Desktop computers (72%) are the favourite device for online purchasing, particularly among people over 55 (82%). One in 6 (17%) will buy presents using their mobile phone – rising to 39% of 16-24 year olds – making it a more popular purchasing device than the tablet (13%).
