As the last month of the year begins, Spaniards prepare their pockets to cover expenses on dinners, gifts and travel. Since it involves a lot of effort, most consumers try to start shopping before the month of December to take advantage of the season of earlier promotions. According to the latest report from Packlink Spaniards are the Europeans who delay their Christmas shopping the mosteven there 19% of them buy Christmas items in December.
These dates are in contrast to the rest of the countries around us, which start shopping earlier for this peak season. So, In the UK and France, 40% and 35% of consumers respectively start purchasing Christmas products before October. In these cases, only 12 and 13% of respondents postpone shopping until the last month of the year, meaning the majority of consumption occurs before November. As for Italy, this country has a greater similarity to the Spanish situation, with 17% of Italians postponing their purchases until December. Despite this, Almost half of respondents in Italy start their Christmas shopping before November, compared to just 38% in Spain.
In this sense, it must be taken into account that the Christmas period in Spain lasts until the month of January, in which Epiphany is celebrated, which delays the purchasing processes. Actually, 43% of Spaniards start their Christmas shopping in November, to be able to benefit from the discounts typical of large consumer events. This is also shown by the study carried out by Packlink in eight international markets 54% of consumers start shopping before Black Friday so they can spread the cost of Christmas across multiple paychecks.
However, the ability to plan purchases in advance varies by age group. Actually, 39% of under-45s admit to bringing forward their Christmas shopping. In contrast, this percentage drops to 28% for Generation X and Baby Boomers. In addition, the analysis by gender shows that they have since become more future-oriented and organized 40% of them delay their purchases to get better prices, compared to 33% of men.
Christmas shopping, especially online
When it comes to choosing the channel for your Christmas shopping, 58% of consumers plan to make most, if not all, purchases online, which is 9% more than in the previous year. Consumers are increasingly embracing an omnichannel shopping style, combining both physical and digital channels depending on their preferences. These numbers reinforce the consolidation that e-commerce is currently experiencing.
Among the various options available on the internet, marketplaces have emerged as the most popular option for consumers. Actually, Approximately every second online order during the Christmas season will be placed via a marketplace. These platforms, which include products from different brands, represent an attractive alternative to traditional online channels 68% of shoppers around the world say marketplaces are their preferred method of buying online.
“With Christmas just around the corner, it is important to plan our spending to avoid falling into last-minute purchases that could be more expensive than expected. In addition, when buying products online, we must not forget about shipping times so that our purchases arrive at home before the Christmas festivities.emphasized Noelia Lazaro, Packlink Marketing Director.