Christmas

Christmas

Photobox and YouGov confidence survey reveals it’s not all ‘doom and gloom’ for Christmas shopping this year

London: Despite the financial downturn and credit crunch hype, it appears that Brits are determined to have a memorable Christmas this year. Photobox.co.uk, the UK’s leading online destination for personalised photo gifts, commissioned a YouGov survey looking into the Great British public’s views on how they will spend this Christmas.

As reported last week by The Press Association, online shopping in the UK is up 15% to date on last year’s figures for the pre-Christmas period. Photobox’s sales are already shattering the online spending trend.

Mark Chapman, Managing Director at Photobox said: “The run up to Christmas is busier this year than ever before. Customers are going crazy for our expanded range of personalised Christmas gifts. Even though the masses are reportedly watching their pennies – our sales prove that personalised gifts are becoming increasingly popular and more precious to the recipient than expensive high street gifts.”

According to the findings in the Great British Christmas survey, just a third GB men (31%) said they will consider cutting down the number of people they are buying gifts for– which means the vast majority of GB husbands and boyfriends will be spending hard to please. Meanwhile, a staggering 43% of women in the GB are slimming down their seasonal shopping list by cutting the number of people buying gifts for – suggesting only the closest of friends and family will make the list.

Just under a tenth of Londoners (8%) have decided to cut down on the amount of presents they buy, hoping that the missed recipients won’t even notice the slimmer stocking. North of the border things appear more resilient - with just over a third (41/%) of residents in Central Scotland planning not to adjust their Christmas spending this year. However, just under half (43%) of those surveyed in East Anglia said they may be cutting down on the number of people they purchase gifts for to reduce their festive spend.

In summary, GB shoppers are being cautious about the number of presents they buy – but not the amount they spend. In real terms, many people will actually be better off in the present receiving stakes this year.

With social networking bringing people closer and personalised presents clearly on the rise - turning snaps into unique affordable gifts such as photo books, calendars, diaries, T-shirts, mugs and greeting cards has never been easier. Visit www.photobox.co.uk and discover a wealth of gifts and greeting card options to make your loved ones smile with glee this Christmas.