Bargain hunters snub high street ahead of Cyber Monday

Britain’s bargain hunters have been snubbing the high street this weekend and will splash their cash online instead, a new survey has found.
Shoppers are snubbing the high street and buying onlineShoppers are snubbing the high street and buying online
Shoppers are snubbing the high street and buying online

Only 6.5 per cent of 2,000 shoppers quizzed said they planned to spend their money in shops on the last pay-day weekend before Xmas.

The majority said they would do their bargain-hunting online during Black Friday and this weekend.

However the survey by money-saving website Voucherbox.co.uk revealed that the best day for online bargains will be tomorrow - dubbed Cyber Monday.

The poll found just 11% of shoppers planned to hit the high street compared to 35% who will chase discounts online.

Only 21% said they would be visiting shops for the Boxing Day sales, however 34% said they would shop online on this day.

Around 20% said they would be shopping online this coming Monday, but just 10% on Christmas Day itself.

Last year Boxing Day was the online winner with 33% of people shopping on that day, but Black Friday was just behind with 33%.

But if you want to bag yourself a real bargain online, this coming Monday offers the best chance.

Average savings on this day were 36% from retailers - compared to 33% on Black Friday and 24% on Boxing Day.

However only 12% of those interviewed thought Cyber Monday would have the best discounts this year.

Most still think Boxing Day is when the biggest bargains can be found.

Overall, it is expected that more than #1bn will be spent by British shoppers online on Black Friday, which would be a new UK retail benchmark.

Shane Forster, UK Country Manager at Voucherbox.co.uk, stated, “We are seeing increased online shopping predictions across the board on every important shopping day this year and so we are not surprised that the high street will be seeing less visits.

“However we are shocked by how low this number is for those who plan to visit the high street on the biggest savings weekend of the year.

“What these figures show is that shoppers are getting savvier, especially at this time of year where buying online offers more opportunity to shop around and use extra savings such as vouchers codes.

“Therefore consumers are likely to save more online than if they go to the high street.”

Voucherbox.co.uk also analysed the percentages of discounts by category of shopping on the big discount days last year with fashion and footwear discounts by far the most dominant in the market.

Health & beauty was the second biggest sector on Black Friday and Boxing Day, but technology bargains moved up as second most popular on Cyber Monday.

Men were bigger shoppers than women last year on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, whereas Boxing Day last year was a bigger day for female online shoppers than for men.

This year a higher percentage of women than men intend to shop online on Black Friday, but men are still more likely than women to be hunting online for bargains on Cyber Monday.

Where are you doing your Christmas shopping this year?

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