46% of online Christmas shoppers will increase their festive shopping this year

44% of fashion sales will move from high street to online

Research looking at online shopping behaviour in the UK found that 46% of those who bought online for Christmas 2019 plan to increase their online festive shopping this year. Females, those aged under 24 and those with children are driving this growth. 

Other key trading dates in the next few weeks are also likely to  see significant rises in online spend among those who shopped online for these events last year: 40% will spend more online for Black Friday; and 38% will spend more online for Cyber Monday.

The research from Whistl, the leading delivery management company in the UK, has found that traditional high street retailers for in clothes/ fashion, health and personal care, general gift buying and books will be most affected by the move from store to online in the Christmas shopping period.

Melanie Darvall, Director Marketing & Communications, Whistl, said: “The retail landscape in the UK is continuing to change driven by the ongoing trend to shop online, accelerating this year by the Covid pandemic. This presents both challenges and opportunities for traditional small and medium scale retailers who must adopt a multi-channel approach to ensure that they do not miss out on potential sales.

“At Whistl we offer retailers access to scalable and flexible fulfilment solutions that are bespoke to their needs.  In addition, through our unique outsourced Contact Centre facilities, from order to delivery we can handle every step along the consumer journey, ensuring that the retailers move to online retail is quick and seamless, without missing the personal touch.”

The research was undertaken with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 UK adults.