Irish shoppers are set to spend an estimated €1.59 billion on Christmas this year, according to new research by ecommerce partner Webloyalty.
The research into Christmas spending estimates that overall consumer spending will be up 2.8 per cent year-on-year, with each consumer spending an average of €435 on all aspects of Christmas 2015. Of the €1.59bn set to be spent on the festive season, some €871m will go on Christmas gifts, with the average spend per person on gifts being €273. However, 16 per cent claim they will spend more than €500 on Christmas presents alone.
Reflecting increased consumer confidence in Ireland, almost one in five people say they intend to spend more on Christmas gifts than last year, while half will spend the same. According to the Webloyalty report, almost two thirds will spend up to 10 hours Christmas shopping, while 14 per cent claim they will invest more than 24 hours into shopping this festive season. When it comes to how Irish people will shop this Christmas, one in five will only shop in-store.
Of those that intend to shop online, almost four in 10 will do so via a mobile device. Only 4 per cent say they will do their Christmas shopping online at work. Commenting on the research Guy Chiswick, managing director of Webloyalty Northern Europe, said: “Christmas 2015 is set to be a positive one for Irish retailers with consumer spending up almost 3 per cent year-on-year.
“As expected a large portion of this spend will be on Christmas gifting, and one in five say they intend to spend more on all aspects of Christmas this year. These figures reflect growing consumer confidence in the Irish market after several tough years for retailers. Our research shows that online shopping using a mobile device has now surpassed desktop and laptop.
“Given this trend, savvy retailers who want to maximise spend at Christmas should ensure their websites are fully optimised for mobile and that the experience is easy and hassle-free for customers.”
