British shoppers admit to being “spontaneous spenders”

Six out of 10 Brits admit to being “spontaneous spenders” who can’t resist buying items on impulse when an offer is available, new research from Barclaycard reveals, which many later come to regret.

British sales shoppers spent an average of 183 pounds during the recent festive discount period but have returned, or plan to return, 70 percent of their total spend. The top three impulse purchases made in the post-Christmas sales were clothes (53 percent), shoes (22 percent) and electronics (16 percent).

These “spontaneous spenders” can’t resist the temptation of a promotion or special offer, says Barclaycard, even if it’s for something they don’t really need, with over three in 10 shoppers admitting that items bought during a discount end up being used or worn “less than expected” or even “hardly ever at all”.

Yet one in five sales shoppers (17 percent) say they regret some or all of their sales purchases, with the main reasons cited as: buying items which did not fit (30 percent), receiving online purchases which looked different when they arrived (24 percent) and later deciding items they liked but didn’t try on didn’t suit them (22 percent).

While traditionally Boxing Day sees crowds flocking to the high street and online in a bid to grab a deal, this year Barclaycard data shows that Friday, December 30, 2016, was the busiest day for end of year sales shopping. The number of transactions on this day increase by 23 percent compared to the same day in 2015, as shoppers hit the sales before the weekend’s New Year’s celebrations began.

Sharon Manikon, customer solutions managing director at Barclaycard said: “Sales can be an inviting time for people to indulge in a quick purchase, particularly for items coveted before a reduction, which can be a very cost-effective way to shop.

“But it can be a good idea to set a budget in advance, because as our data shows, many shoppers can’t resist an offer or promotion and end up impulse-buying items which they don’t really need, and later come to regret.”