Many Brits plan to buy holiday gifts after Christmas

A survey of consumers in the U.K. has found that almost half will wait until the January sales to complete their festive shopping in order to bag a bargain.

by Helen Leggatt

Comparison shopping website PriceGrabber.co.uk surveyed just over 1,000 British shoppers to ascertain when they were planning to purchase their festive gifts. With financial concerns to the fore, nearly half (47%) said they planned to do between 10% and 50% of their Christmas shopping in the January sales.

In addition, British consumers plan to spend less this year. Pricegrabber's "Holiday Trends Consumer Behavior Report 2009" found that 42% plan to cut back on gifts for extended family and 50% will decrease the number of gifts purchased for friends.

"The results indicate a tough Christmas ahead for some retailers, with 39% of shoppers planning to spend less money this year as a direct result of their current financial status," according to PriceGrabber.

If you're a garbage collector or a postie, Christmas gifts from those you service may be a bit thin on the ground this year. PriceGrabber found that 41% of respondents plan to strike them from their gift lists in a bid to save cash.

Tags: Britain, Christmas, consumer behavior, e-commerce, online shopping

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