While online consumers still plan to buy a majority of their Christmas gifts at brick-and-mortar stores, they will do more of their holiday shopping from offline than last year, according to a new Goldman Sachs/PC Data study.
On average, online shoppers plan to buy nearly half (47 percent) of their Christmas gifts offline at traditional retailers. The respondents said they play to spend over a third (38 percent) on their gifts on the Internet, and the remainder (15 percent) through catalogues. In 1999, online shoppers expected to buy nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of their gifts at stores and only a quarter online.
The research says that whilst traditional shops are still the preferred destination for Christmas shopping, online stores are becoming more and more popular. The study also found that contrary to general perception, consumers feel that online shopping provides a higher level of satisfaction than shopping at traditional retail shops. For those who chose the web over stores, the top motivation to shop online is to avoid crowds (63.5 percent). Fifty-two percent believe it is “easier to compare products and prices online,” while nearly 45 percent are attracted by “access to wider selection of products.” Thirty-four percent cited “lower item prices” as the prime reason for shopping online.
