NEWS: Shoppers with gift of foresight

If you are planning a do-or-die mission to the shops on Christmas Eve,

you should bear in mind that 22% of consumers have had the whole nasty

business over and done with since October 8.

And as you open your stocking on Christmas Day, remember that 4% of

consumers ask someone to buy a present for their partner on their

behalf.

These unsettling statistics emerge from a new study into Christmas

shopping habits conducted for Initiative Media by Research Services.

Parents buying presents for children are some of the earliest to get the

Christmas shopping out of the way, with 16% saying they had bought or

chosen all their children’s presents by the start of November. Men, many

of whom favour the Christmas Eve dash option, are hopeless at buying

children’s presents; one in seven leaves this task to someone else.

Women are the most organised, with 37% having started their shopping by

the beginning of November, compared with 18% of men. Chocolates, wines

and spirits are last-minute purchases, says the report, which observes

that toy ads peak in November.

See Feature, page 25

This article was first published on Marketing