Study shows shoppers plan to spend more this Christmas

13% decline in those planning to do their shopping online.

New research has found that 58% of Irish shoppers aim to spend monies saved over the pandemic on Christmas gifts.

The research examined the trends and changes in shopping habits during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on consumer habits in the lead up to the Christmas period.

The annual survey was carried out by Kinetic Insight, the specialists in Out of Home (OOH) communications for brands.

The online survey was carried out in August 2021 amongst 250 respondents.

Spending power is one of the key trends emerging from the research.

Over a third of respondents will be spending more this Christmas on both groceries and gifts, a 13% increase on 2020.

A quater meanwhile aim to spend more on groceries and luxury items, while 19% said they would be spending more on premium brands.

Interestingly, 61% plan on starting their Christmas shopping early this year, a 13% increase on the same time last year.

Almost 80% plan on doing their Christmas shopping between September and November, with 7% citing that they had already started when surveyed in August.

Perhaps most significant are indications of a return to the physical shopping experience for the Christmas 2021 season.

The research results showed a 13% decline in those planning to do their shopping online.

Some 22% plan on shopping in store, while 33% plan on a mixture of online and in store shopping.

For those who are planning on visiting retail environments, almost half of respondents will visit a shopping centre, while 39% will frequent Christmas shopping evenly across shopping centres and the high street.

When asked how they planned on spending their Christmas this year and, not surprisingly, the re-occurring theme amongst respondents was family and friends, with 38% planning on spending a quiet Christmas with members of their household.

32% will be celebrating by visiting friends and family across Ireland, while 14% plan on travelling abroad to visit family members. 14% intend to plan large family and friend gatherings over the festive season, giving rise to more socialising and nights out.