More than a quarter of Brits have already begun their Christmas shopping over fears of supply chain snags and pandemic shortages, a survey reveals.
But another survey says that more than 50% of us have decided to start buying for Christmas already.
The festive shoppers fear that shelves will be empty of toys leaving them with nothing to give children on Christmas Day.
According to Sitecore, 28% of Brits have already begun their Christmas shopping, and 48% say they planning to start Christmas shopping by October.
Stock levels affected this Christmas
This comes after retailers from supermarkets to toy chains have been warning that there are supply chain issues, including a chronic shortage of lorry drivers, that may lead to stock levels being affected this Christmas.
The survey also reveals that there is a move from relying on online shopping because of the pandemic, and 31% of respondents say they will be window shopping to find gifts on the High Street.
Also, 23% say they will visit independent small retailers and 21% will be visiting local Christmas markets.
The big retailers may worry that 45% of consumers say they are planning to avoid big online retailers, and 43% say they ‘feel lazy’ if they did their Christmas shopping purely online.
Despite this, 59% of Brits say they would buy from Amazon for their last-minute purchases.
‘Retailers and brands will face supply chain disruption’
Fears over the supply of Christmas goods means more than 25% of Brits have already started Christmas shopping for 2021.
A spokesman said: “Retailers and brands will face supply chain disruption undoubtedly this year for reasons that are out of their control.
“This could lead to frustrated customers, as well as negative reviews and a tarnished reputation.”
The site says that the retailers and brands that will win Christmas shoppers over this year will deliver high levels of service and manage their supply chain risk.
But that’s not all, a survey from offeroftheday.co.uk has found that:
- 50% of Brits have started Christmas shopping already
- 14% claim to have finished buying their Christmas gifts already.
Planning to make Christmas more special in 2021
The money-saving website found that 63% of respondents say they are planning to make Christmas more special in 2021 to make up for the lost memories and experiences of the pandemic lockdown last year.
In addition, of those who haven’t started their Christmas shopping yet, 79% say they are making lists already so they can buy gifts ahead of the festive season and 84% say they are now bookmarking items to buy on their electronic devices.
The site found that 76% of UK consumers say that though they are setting more money aside for enjoying Christmas this year, they will stick to previous years’ budgets – because the pandemic has shown the importance of budgeting.
The average Christmas 2021 budget for people in the UK, is around £300.
