Xmas Shopping Madness: UK Punters Set To Go Wild Online October 26, 2007
Read more Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Online
"We really want to see those fingers", the catch-phrase from the old Shooting Stars TV quiz spoof show is about as apt a description of what millions across the UK will be doing this Christmas.
That’s right, hundreds of millions of mouse clicks will set a new record for online shopping across Europe this Christmas according to the latest crystal-ball gazing from Forrester Research. The UK will lead the virtual spending spree.
· The largest online retail market is the UK with 27 million online shoppers expected to spend more than €700 (£490) each during the holiday shopping season — accounting for a record-breaking €20bn (£14bn) in online sales.
· Germany’s online shopping spend has grown to €12bn, followed by €6.5bn in France, Italy with €2.1bn, and the Netherlands with €1.9bn.
· The top three categories this year are leisure travel, clothing, and consumer electronics, which will account for over half of the Christmas season’s online spend
Across Europe, Net shoppers will spend a projected €51bn (£35.6bn) online during the Christmas season. For the year, online sales will be up by a staggering 58%.
If £490 is the average then I’m screwed already.-Martin Lynch
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
Comments
Can you blame them? Shopping in the real world is a nightmare. Case in point - the other week I was in a shop and found a nice coat, but it wasn't available in my size. The store (a major UK and worldwide chain) didn't let me order one in, nor did they have an online presence. I was however given an out-of-date stock check for other branches, and I, the customer, had to do all the hard work pounding the pavement finding a branch that had it in my size. So much for the customer's needs being put first.
In comparison, online shopping is a doddle. Price search engines such as Google and Kelkoo make finding somewhere that sells what you want easy as anything, and if something's out of stock you can usually order & wait for it to come in stock with peace of mind, rather than trekking through a million other sites. It isn't perfect of course, but it's much less effort than spending hours fighting through the crowds.
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