With only two weeks to go before Christmas, buying presents
is a high priority for a lot of people. However, this year not so many people
are leaving their homes to browse around the shops. These days lots of
people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the
help of the internet.
Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a
number of reasons; prices are often lower online, you don’t have to queue
up in busy shops and you can buy almost any product imaginable with
just a few clicks of your mouse.
Computer trends are often male-dominated but this year
women are expected to do more shopping on the internet than men. It seems women
are now more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to
be.
Average spending online this Christmas by
women will rise to ￡240 (3360 Yuan) compared to the slightly lower average of
￡233 for men, while the average spend per person on the high street is
only ￡197. 70% of internet users, male and female, are now buying their
Christmas gifts online.
In the past a lot of people were reluctant to shop
online. Many were worried about the security of entering their card
details on the internet and the reliability of the internet but as
shopping online has become more widespread, these worries have begun to
disappear. 45% of internet users still do have security worries but it
hasn’t slowed down the ever-increasing numbers of online shoppers.
One victim of the online shopping boom is the
UK high street. Christmas trading can represent up to 60% of
turnover for some stores. Many companies are concerned that not enough
shoppers are coming through their doors in the run-up to Christmas. As a
result there are lots of special offers in the shops.
Most shops traditionally have sales after Christmas but this
year the bargains have come early in an attempt to lure consumers to
spend. Bad news for the high street has become good news for the bank balances
of UK shoppers this Christmas!
