High Street shoppers leave Christmas shopping to the last minute
Almost half of consumers have put off some or all of their Christmas shopping as they believe prices are going to fall, according to a survey of 378 Christmas shoppers by Empathica.
Empathica’s annual Christmas shopping survey, initially started in 2008, found that 48 per cent of those surveyed have delayed their Christmas shopping. Furthermore, nine out of ten respondents claim they will spend less or the same on Christmas presents as last year.
Gary Topiol, Managing Director, Empathica, said, “These findings may explain those of the Office of National Statistics, which recently reported a surprising drop in retail sales in November of 0.6 per cent. The results from our survey show that shoppers are continuing to be cautious with their spending habits. Retailers must think about how they can engage with their customers to try and entice them into the store.”
47 per cent of shoppers cited value for money as the most important factor when Christmas shopping.
Topiol added, “Value has many parts including brand equity, convenience, quality, payment security, warranty details and perhaps most importantly the customer experience. All these factors are just as important to shoppers, even during the Christmas period. To tempt customers to shop now, retailers must give them a great shopping experience, offer value for money and deliver exceptional customer service.”
