The last weekend before Christmas has come and gone, hastening with it, one might assume, present buying panic as December 25th draws inexorably near. But a survey from November of 1,997 British online adults shows that many among them planned ahead to avoid the high-street crowds, instead choosing to go online for Christmas gifts.
Furthermore, a substantial minority opted for online ‘digital vouchers’, which, by allowing the recipient ‘instant’ downloads of their chosen gift, aim to simplify the present-buying process even further.
- 47% said they would be buying Christmas presents online this year
- 27% said that more than half of their Christmas shopping would be done online
And online shopping doesn’t just mean getting gifts delivered to avoid the last-minute scramble. A significant minority chose to streamline their shopping altogether by using online vouchers, which allow both the giving and receiving to be done quickly and virtually.
- 16% agreed that they didn’t see online vouchers as a ‘cop out’ present, saying that ‘it’s the thought that counts’
- While 13% said that they like the simplicity of downloading ‘e-books, music files, TV shows and software instantly rather than buying them in shops’.
