UK shoppers have already spent more than £2bn on Christmas 2017, new research estimates.
ICM questioned more than 2,000 UK adults on behalf of performance marketing technology company Criteo and found that one in five had already brought their first Christmas present while more than 15% had already spent more than £200 on the festive season, 30% had spent more than £100, and 12% had already done all or most of their shopping. Some 9% of 18 to 34-year-old shoppers have already bought all their Christmas presents.
Despite this, half of the UK population are already planning to browse for a good deal in during the Black Friday sales. One in three (33%) of consumers that used a specific retailers’ site for peak season shopping say they still use the same apps. Criteo’s findings show that, 32.5% of consumers return to the same app they used during last year’s seasonal shopping, and a third of consumers purchasing travel in the Christmas season will return to the same retailer later in the year. This not only proves the power of the peak season, but also the power of an established meaningful relationship, says Criteo.
“We’re not even half way through the year but it’s clear that shoppers everywhere are already thinking about Christmas,” said Thomas Jeanjean, EVP, global midmarket sales at Criteo . “With shopping easier today than ever before thanks to smartphones, tablets and ever-improving in-store experiences, people simply aren’t waiting to get a head start on their December spending! For retailers, this means early engagement with shoppers is essential if they’re going to satisfy those people looking to get ahead of the game come Christmas. More importantly however, by investing in Christmas now, brands everywhere will be going a long way towards establishing a loyal customer base ready for when the real spending kicks in towards the end of the year.”
Criteo says this period represents an opportunity to build meaningful relationships by introducing new offers, targeted marketing strategies and finding fresh ways to engage with customers.
