Men more likely to leave Christmas shopping to the last minute
Men are more likely to leave Christmas shopping to the last minute, new research has found.
Women are generally more prepared for the big day with 14% of men admitting to being in a last-minute rush compared to 6% of women.
The annual rush for last-minute gifts is as strong as ever, as one in 10 Brits leave the majority of their present buying until the final few days before Christmas, with a fifth (19%) of Brits still shopping for gifts on Christmas Eve, according to a new survey from Sainsbury’s Bank Credit Cards.
Last-minute Christmas shoppers are also spending more by leaving it late with two in five (43%) believing they spend extra on last-minute gifts.
London shoppers are particularly guilty of this with 50% panic buying in the last few days before Christmas, followed by Birmingham (49%) and Sheffield (47%).
Last-minute panic buying also leads to shoppers making quick decisions rather than taking time to plan the perfect gift, with more than a third (35%) of people admitting they either buy the first thing that jumps out at them, or just get something in a rush that they can wrap easily.
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Separate analysis of Sainsbury’s Bank Credit Card data reveals that between in the five days before Christmas Day last year alone its customers spent over £4m in department and clothing stores.
High street footfall in this period in 2018 was 14.1% higher than the five days beforehand as shoppers rushed to find last-minute gifts, figures from customer activity insight specialist Springboard showed.
Jason King, customer director at Sainsbury’s Bank, said: “Making plans and setting a budget is a good way to manage your Christmas spending and ensure you’re getting value for money.
“Christmas shoppers can often find themselves paying over the odds by leaving things too late, either because they’ve missed some great deals that have sold out, or they’re in a rush and grab anything they think the person may like.”
