With less than 2 weeks to go before Christmas, many Brits are just starting their present shopping.
40% of shoppers say they’re delaying present buying until the last couple of weeks, in hope of bagging some last minute discounts. So finds Savvy Marketing in its Christmas shopper research.
People are also now thinking about their big Christmas food shop. 27% of UK shoppers intend to head to Tesco and 17% to Asda. 13% tell us they will do their main Christmas shop at Aldi, taking joint third place with Sainbury’s.
Of course, the cost of living continues to be front of people’s minds, with almost two-thirds of UK shoppers saying they are cutting back spending on Christmas gifts this year and 61% expecting to buy less food and drink.
It not just retailers that are having to fight for their share of Christmas spending – 60% of us are planning to eat and drink out less in order to save money.
Navigating the cost of living crisis
As we’ve seen over the past 18 months, shoppers are increasingly savvy in their spending habits and have become adept in looking for ways to stretch their budgets. 66% plan to spend retailer loyalty card points to get money off their Christmas shop and 61% say they will spend more at discounters like Aldi and Lidl this year.
Shifting inspiration
While shoppers are naturally turning more to digital sources of Christmas inspiration, retail stores remain dominant, especially for food and drinks, with 88% of shoppers saying they’ll look for things to buy and do at a supermarket. 69% say they’ll visit a retailer website, 60% will use Google and 39% expect to find ideas on Facebook. Tik Tok is a source of festive inspiration for 30%, doubling to 59% among shoppers aged 18-34.
Broader trends
Many of the broader trends Savvy has reported for calendar events throughout this year are reflected on our Christmas research. 61% of shoppers would rather buy gifts from smaller or local retailers, 57% plan to buy sustainable gifts where possible and 43% anticipate they’ll buy a personalised gift.
If you are interested to read more detailed findings and analysis of Savvy’s Christmas insight, please get in touch.