Brits leaving online Xmas shopping to last minute By Staff
15-12-2005 10:05 AM
Related: Research Retail
UK shoppers are leaving more of their online Christmas shopping till later than expected this year, with many opting for lingerie as a last minute gift, according to new data.
Web research firm Hitwise reports that it’s UK Shopping & Classifieds category reached a new peak of 14.85% of all internet visits last week.
While the week-on-week increase was less than 1%, at this time last year visits were already in decline, Hitwise added.
The retail sub-categories responsible for driving that growth were Flowers and Gifts, with a 9% week–on-week increase, Intimate Apparel & Accessories with an 8% increase, and Music with a 6% growth.
Heather Hopkins, director of research for Hitwise UK, said: “The growth in visits to Intimate Apparel & Accessories websites seems to be a result of last minute shopping for lingerie.”
“Lingerie is a highly seasonal product with the share of searches for ‘lingerie’ surging in the lead-up to Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Searches for ‘lingerie’ have more than doubled since early October.”
Intimate wear seems to be a popular last minute gift, with visits to Figleaves, the most visited site in the category, peaking the week ending 25th December last year.
This year, many online retailers are promising on-time delivery for orders received on or before 22 December, Hitwise said.
Visitors to the Intimate Apparel & Accessories category were 8% more likely to be male and 13% more likely to be under the age of 34 in the past four weeks.
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