A quick thank you
This is to say thank you to everyone who completed the Christmas Shopping questionnaire for me.
A pub bauble display Thank you for Christ or for the Christmas revenue? Image: John New
The current, and likely final, total is 64 respondents. As the infogr.am figures were part of a Uni project (and the marks have yet to be published) I have not updated or changed those. The final response summary is below-
Too early?
To the question “Does Christmas get into the shops too early?” the responses were-
No = 14 , Yes = 50 – an overwhelming majority of 78% although the final total is very slightly down on the earlier reported figure of 80%.
However one interesting quote received suggests this is not a new trend and differs little from the 1970s.
Not really I worked in a department store in the 70’s and xmas stock was being put on the shelves in September. Respondent No 63.
My own experience of living in York in the 1970s supports this; there was the annual game of guessing which would arrive first – Santa at the Co-op Department Store or Bonfire Night.
Christmas ornaments in store. Image: John New
The New Year sales impact?
To the question “Did you delay a purchase by planning ahead to buy in the New Year sales?” the response were:-
No = 48 and Yes = 16. As 75% of respondents did not delay a purchase until the sales, as with my earlier observation, other than the original purpose of shifting seasonal stock that is no longer relevant is there really any point to the sales?
Impact of on-line retailing
The question asked was “Did you buy any Christmas gifts on-line?” with a split for the yes answers between Vouchers only or a mix of gifts and vouchers.
This figure confirms the shifting pattern of giving in the twenty-first century. In the final total only 6 from 64 had not bought at least a gift voucher on-line as a Christmas present. That 9.3% in the final total was very slightly higher than in the interim analysis posted but confirms the overwhelming impact of on-line retailing.
In fact only 1 respondent from the total had only bought a gift voucher as their on-line purchase with the vast majority buying both an actual gift and a voucher.
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