CORONAVIRUS DOESN’T DAMPEN FESTIVE SPIRIT, STUDY SHOWS
Brits aren’t letting the pandemic spoil their festive fun, with 75% of 18-34-year-olds admitting that Christmas will be more important than ever this year.
This is according to a recent study from Kinetic Worldwide, cited by The Drum. It found that, despite a surge in online sales, consumers are already hitting the shops in anticipation of the festive season – 28% say they’ve begun Christmas shopping.
Almost six in ten (58%) shoppers refuse to curb their spending this year, while 16% actually plan to spend more – indulging in retail therapy as a remedy for the worsening pandemic and approach of winter.
Another 25% say they’ll start their shopping spree before the end of this month, while 23% of Brits will start festive preparations earlier than usual this year.
The impact of local lockdowns
Local lockdowns across areas in Lancashire and in Greater Manchester are yet to have any significant impact on shopping habits on the ground. Footfall in Greater Manchester has dropped only 1-2%.
Surprisingly, footfall increased by 1-2% in coronavirus hotspots such as Wales and Lancashire. In Caerphilly, Glamorgan, where stringent restrictions were imposed, footfall bounced back by a significant 5% week-on-week.
Strong desire for in-store shopping
The pandemic has not put people off shopping in-store – the opposite, in fact. Well over half (56%) of shoppers say they go out of their way to visit shops wherever possible, meanwhile 68% of 18-34-year-olds admit to missing the outdoor shopping experience.
In contrast, only 31% of shoppers say that they’ll spend more online compared to pre-pandemic this year, potentially showing that the hike in lockdown online spending was only a temporary trend.
When it comes to in-store safety measures, consumers are largely accepting of wearing masks: 80% said it was only a minor inconvenience, and just 21% said they are reducing the time spent in high street stores as a result.
Kinetic’s chief planning officer, Nicole Lonsdale, said the company’s survey “suggests a remarkable resilience in people’s shopping behaviour and a steely determination amongst UK consumers to make the most of this year’s Christmas season.”
Suffice to say, the festive season is one of the best opportunities to engage your audience and drive sales. We’re proud to say that we’ve helped clients in the UK and beyond create, execute and optimise their festive marketing campaigns, with excellent results. It’s not too late to create additional campaigns, so get in touch today by emailing hello@thedeltagroup.com.
