Brits estimated to spend £1.2bn online on Christmas Day

It is estimated Brits will spend £1.2 billion online on Christmas Day, as over 11 million shoppers will use their devices to buy items they had wished for but didn’t receive, according to ParcelHero.

Last year, shoppers spent £1 billion online on Christmas Day, with new data suggesting that this year will see that figure rise to £1.2 billion.

ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks, commented: "The growth of Christmas Day as a shopping event has become a retail phenomenon. Previously, Boxing Day launched the big post-Christmas sales season but now it’s Christmas Day itself. There are many reasons why the day has become so popular for shoppers. Often, children are swift to indicate disappointment because they have been overlooked by an aunt or given the wrong toy. Knowing a new present is on its way swiftly restores Christmas cheer.

"Then there’s the emergency option for that moment when you know you have bought your partner the wrong present. It’s not a great feeling when your loved one has lavished time and money on your present but is on the receiving end of a novelty jumper. A sneaky order with next day delivery means you can tell them their main present is still on its way.

"Over the last few years. Christmas Eve has also been growing in popularity as a key day for online shoppers who have left everything to the eleventh hour. Christmas Eve same-day deliveries look highly ambitious this year. Amazon, Argos, ASOS, Net-a-Porter and Zara still claim to be able to take an online order and deliver it on the same day. However, this year, several of these stores are now wisely saying that 24 December orders will only be deliverable same day for specific postcodes.

"Given the current strain on delivery services because of COVID-19 and Brexit, we won’t be surprised if retailers change to earlier final order dates as Christmas nears."

Last month, TheIndustry.fashion reported that almost one in five of small business owners say their company won’t survive unless they have a successful festive trading period. 43% of business owners said they are still struggling to recover from the financial toll of the pandemic.