Online retailers prepare for Christmas Day sales blitz

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 23 Dec 2008 at 13:46

Around five million British shoppers are expected to head to the online sales this Christmas Day, spending a record $100 million.

IMRG, which conducted the study, claims Christmas Day spending will hit £103 million this year, up nearly a quarter on last year.

According the analysis firm, there was a 44% surge in traffic between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year, peaking at 3pm as shoppers headed online to take advantage of the early sales, and spend gift vouchers they'd received. The company is expecting a similar trend this Christmas.

The success of online retailers comes as the high street continues to suffer, with long-established names such as Woolworths and MFI set to close their doors. The closure of Woolworths has also had a knock-on effect for Zavvi's website, which depended on the Woolworths-owned Entertainment UK to supply CDs, DVDs and games.

Ebay is also looking forward to a bumper post-Christmas, as people flock to the site to dispose of unwanted Christmas gifts.

"We estimate that £1.7 billion will be spent on unwanted Christmas presents this year, equivalent to £36 per person, so it's no surprise we see an increase in people listing unwanted items for sale on the site in the days following Christmas.

Ebay claims that 27 December will be its biggest day for unwanted gift sales.