• Why bother Christmas shopping?

    by
    Harriet Weston
    Published on 19th December 2011 01:05 PM
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    Christmas shopping seems like too much hassle, effort and wasted time – that and you can’t decide what to buy
    The last week of Christmas shopping mayhem dawns; cash strapped consumers are on the hunt for last minute presents but are increasingly looking online for big discounts. Online shoppers will spend around £750 million this week in the last dash before Christmas.Studies are suggesting that bargain hunters will be walking 30 miles shopping and     whilst doing so will wait an hour and half on average in the queues, reports which will no doubt thrust online shopping to the forefront.

    Ellen Flood, Director of Shopow put it succinctly when she stated on BBC Breakfast that “Online seems to be the way people are shopping these days and has revolutionised the way we shop. Consumers trust social shopping as they can share reviews with friends and their recommendations are trustworthy.”

    In order to avoid the last minute shopping blues, and spending hard earned money on rubbish, the social shopping engine Shopow has collected tips from the online shopping community to bring shoppers a bit of advice to make it that little bit less     painful.It is important that shoppers maximise their time in the last gasp of festive mayhem. Failing this, shoppers can hop online and quickly get everything they are after.

    This has been achieved through the form of a virtual high street where your friends are able to give you advice based on their experiences on the products they have purchased, as opposed to listening to an inexperienced shop assistant after shuffling through crowds of people this Christmas.

    Needless to say – there are certainly things that might help out the clueless shopper in their last minute dash. Shoppers needn’t panic about shoving through the crowds; just opt for the cyber shopping option from an armchair or your office desk. It’s a plus too that many online stores are offering better bargains and free delivery over the Christmas period within 48 hours. It is even easier to determine what we should be buying friends and family if we would simply pay attention to them. This is no less the case online.

    This year, with as many as 49% of consumers sharing shopping advice through social networking sites, social shopping has become a big influencer on spending habits. Shopow encourages this community activity and highlights your friends’ experiences to create a really powerful force in online shopping. This is especially true when 70% of shoppers read and trust anonymous reviews, yet a staggering 90% of shoppers trust recommendations from friends.

    Tapping into this market is Kevin Flood, co-founder and CEO of Shopow, who commented; “With everyone having an austere Christmas and high street retailers prompted to start panic sales over concerns about being left with unsold stock, online shopping is emerging as a growth area. Shoppers are on the hunt for deals but are increasingly looking online for big discounts and are sharing their best finds with friends and family; something which is increasingly difficult with the purse strings tighter than a drum.”