Manic Monday For Christmas Shoppers

Nov. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- UK: Online as well as the high street are well prepped for this influx of business, and one trend is slashing prices in order to cope with the competition. The internet has become increasingly popular with Christmas shoppers, and this Monday they are expected to spend a total of £537 million, or £22.4 million an hour, according to the Centre for Retail Research. These figures showing an increase of 29 % on last year’s which were an impressive £11.5 billion.

The Centre for Retail Research surveyed 50 major retailers who are to follow in the footsteps of major online retailer Amazon, by slashing their prices. This will encourage them to take advantage of the 80% of internet users who are expected to do most of their Christmas shopping online this year. This figure is not surprising due to the manic out there on the high street, when you can keep warm and get all your gifts delivered direct to your door and even gift wrapped.

The online retail world has become more important and businesses are realising the wider marketplace available to them by having an online presence. With online Christmas sales expected to rise by 28.8%, the equivalent to 17 pence for every pound that is spent during the festive season, more companies are investing in internet marketing in order to optimise their website for the products and services they offer.

The average UK household budget will see a massive two-thirds accounted for on gifts at £417 (62%). Another fundamental for the Christmas period is food and drink, of which £117.80 or 26% of the budget will cover. Doing the rounds and seeing the family will see travel costs use up £42.26 (6%) and festive decorations finishing it off at £36.50 or 5%.
The main market sectors competing in the Christmas price war are fashion, household gifts, gadgets and consumer electrics, toys and cosmetics. The most popular out of the five will be fashion, including footwear and clothes using £120 or 29% of the average household budget. The second most popular are gadgets and electronics, swallowing up nearly a quarter of the budget at £102. Regarding toys they should account for £75 (18%) and cosmetics, £35 or 8%.

It still remains popular for shoppers to do their Christmas buying traditionally on the high street. Although as consumers are becoming more savvy and trying to make their budget stretch that little bit further, shopping online has allowed them to become more comparative on prices. Certain sites are even dedicated to finding the best price for a specific product, making it easier to grab the best bargain. Even business related websites such as http://www.the0800numbercompany.co.uk/ are expecting an increase in sales volumes even though their products are not necessarily seasonal.

As well as “Manic Monday” being earmarked as one of the busiest days for retail, online businesses also see a 60% rise in the six weeks running up to Christmas in comparison to the rest of the year. So it makes sense to be well stocked in preparation for the mad rush in the run up to the big day to catch the whole spectrum of Christmas shoppers.

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