Worries around retailers being able to deliver gifts in time is prompting customers to shop early, according to two new pieces of research research from Bright Data and the Post Office.
The Bright Data research, carried out by Vanson Bourne, surveyed 4,000 consumers across the US and UK and found that 51% of UK respondents and 66% of US respondents plan to shop ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to secure goods in time.
Meanwhile, the Post Office research showed that around two-thirds have already started Chrismas shopping. 82% want to buy earlier so that they can give them in person but 40% are shopping early because of concern over shortages, delays and long queues. A quarter of Brits are worried about what friends or family will think if gifts don’t arrive in time.
Four in ten are planning to buy mostly online according to the Post Office , with 82% of online sellers either expecting or experiencing earlier Christmas purchasing this year. To prepare for this, there has been a 56% increase in stock levels, 45% increase in staff and 29% uplift in earlier dispatching.
