Research from online auction giant eBay has found that next Monday, 7 December, is set to be Ireland’s busiest online shopping day, with a massive 112,000 people expected to log onto eBay.ie alone.
Last-minute shoppers
Interestingly, eBay.ie’s research reveals Ireland’s busiest shopping day will take place one week earlier in other parts of Europe, such as the UK, France and Austria, suggesting that our European counterparts are perhaps more organised than we are when it comes to buying gifts.
According to eBay.ie’s research, the large amount of Irish shoppers due to log onto the online auction site next Monday will result in a Christmas present being bought every 30 seconds.
Popular gift items
In terms of most popular gift items this Christmas, eBay.ie says it has seen the strongest sales in the areas of clothing, shoes and accessories, with a 54pc increase in this area compared to 2008.
Bargain hunters are also snapping up technology, with a 74pc increase in computer sales and a 5pc increase in video-camera sales.
Other popular Christmas gift purchases include DVDs and movies, cameras and video games.
“The strongest sales have been seen this year in the categories of clothing, computers and consumer electronics as the biggest savings can be made here compared to the high street,” said Julia Hutton Potts of eBay.ie.
Irish spending less this year
According to eBay.ie’s research, some 13pc of Irish bargain hunters are planning to spread the expense of Christmas by shopping throughout the year, while the average amount people plan to spend on Christmas presents this year is €206, compared to €234 last year.
According to 2009 research from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland’s online shoppers now amount to 1.2 million people.
eBay.ie’s research reveals that 69pc of Irish people will shop online this year in search of better value.
Article courtesy of businessandleadership.com
