Disappointed Brits Will Spend £1.4bn Online On Christmas Day, As 38% Of Us Buy What We Really Wanted!

23rd December 2024

The average Brit is set to spend over 7 hours online on Christmas Day. We'll be spending an estimated £1.4bn, mostly buying all the things we wished for but didn’t get, says ParcelHero.

Many disappointed Brits are set to splash the cash on Christmas Day, says the leading parcel price comparison site Parcelhero. 38% of UK adults are expected to shop online, spending £1.4bn on tech, clothes and other goods. Most of this huge spend will be on products we’d been hoping for, but didn’t receive.

Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘Brits seem to have lost faith that Santa will actually deliver the items that topped their wish list. Parcelhero’s latest research reveals we are likely to spend over £1.4bn online on the Big Day itself, with the bulk of that spend on getting the items they really wanted.

‘The growth of Christmas Day as a shopping event has become a true retail phenomenon. Previously, Boxing Day launched the big post-Christmas sales season but now it’s Christmas Day itself.

‘Last Christmas, Brits spent an average 7 hours and 24 minutes online on Christmas Day. Barclays found 38% of online shoppers started buying on the 25th, rather than wait for Boxing Day sales. Electronic items and clothing are expected to top the Christmas Day sales charts this year, while one in nine of us actually plan to book our annual holiday online on Christmas Day, according to Aviva’s latest research.

‘There are many reasons why the 25th 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 thing. A sneaky order with next day delivery means you can tell them their main present is still on its way.

‘Of course, we have all experienced the pang of Christmas Day disappointment ourselves as, despite all the hints, we survey our new socks and toiletries. Last year, Brits were given £2.2bn-worth of unwanted Christmas gifts, according to eBay. That’s why so many of us console ourselves on Christmas Day by buying the gift we really wanted.

‘Meanwhile, the pre-Christmas online shopping sprint is almost over. However, for those who have left everything until the last minute and beyond, the good news is that a few retailers still say they are taking orders today (23 December) in time for Christmas. As well as Amazon and Argos, companies such as H Samuels are still taking orders today. To find out who is still delivering, it's easy to check Parcelhero's easy-to-use retailers’ final order tool: https://www.parcelhero.com/events/christmas-gifts-delivery