According to data from a Google/OTX survey, 44% of US shoppers have already started their Christmas shopping and researching.
Eric Lopez of Google’s retail team also points to the search giant’s own trend data, saying “In taking a look at query volume using Google Insights for Search, we see that search interest in ‘christmas gift’ has upticked sharply over recent weeks, demonstrating this increased research activity.”
A similar query looking at search interest in ‘christmas present’ and related terms in the UK reveals the same trend — though with predictably lower volume and less data available.
In a post on the Google Retail Advertising Blog Lopez continues “Consumers are not just researching, many have already begun purchasing. In fact, over a third of respondents (36%) said they have already begun making holiday purchases. This demonstrates that consumers are not waiting for the traditional kick off to the season, many are already spending time online researching gift ideas and heading into the store or to your site to make that special purchase.”
