Half of Brits prefer post-Christmas shopping to Black Friday

New research suggests that ‘Chrimbo Limbo,’ the period between Christmas and New Year, is more popular for Brits to go shopping than Black Friday.

The nationwide survey of 2,001 UK consumers conducted by Censuswide for Snapchat reveals that 48 percent of Brits are more likely to shop between Christmas and New Year than Black Friday and other sales moments, with 84 percent of consumers adding that they shop more or the same amount between Christmas and New Year as on other peak retail periods like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the January sales.

The biggest shoppers during the ‘Chrimbo Limbo’ period are Gen Z and Millennials, with nearly three in four Gen Z (72 percent) and Millennial (70 percent) shoppers spending more during the post-Christmas period than other times of the year and nine in ten spending more or the same amount (92 percent for both generations).

The research notes that people love shopping during ‘Chrimbo Limbo,’ with more than 57 percent saying it is one of their top three favourite activities between Christmas and New Year, with two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials reporting shopping adds to their enjoyment of the season. This is often because it makes them happy, with a quarter of people (25 percent) adding that shopping and holiday sales make them happy during this period, rising to 36 percent amongst Millennials, the highest of any generation.

Snapchat research reveals that Brits shopping for clothing in post-Christmas sales

During the post-Christmas sales period, 47 percent of consumers are most interested in buying clothing, followed by food and drink (33 percent), gifts (31 percent) and home goods (26 percent).

When it comes to what’s motivating sales during ‘Chrimbo Limbo,’ nearly half of the respondents (49 percent) said they were looking for post-Christmas bargains, while 25 percent added that they have more money to spend after getting cash gifts. While special promotions top the list of motivating factors for shoppers of all ages, Gen X (53 percent) are more influenced than Gen Z (45 percent) by sales or discounts.

In addition, almost half (48 percent) of consumers use digital platforms more during ‘Chrimbo Limbo,’ including almost seven in ten Gen Z and Millennial respondents. In the lull between Christmas and New Year, younger people are interested in interactive features and virtual try-ons, with nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Gen Z and three in five Millennials (59 percent) feeling more excited about shopping thanks to these online features.

Bridget Lea, vice president and UK general manager at Snapchat, said in a statement: “At this time of year, brands can often forget that important downtime post-Christmas when people are still very much in a spending mindset - and with Christmas shopping out of the way, they often have more time and are online looking to treat themselves.

“Combined, Gen Z and Millennial shoppers hold over 4.4 trillion US dollars in spending power globally so with more of them shopping on digital platforms after Christmas, the Chrimbo Limbo period should be considered an integral peak opportunity for advertisers to reach consumers ready to be inspired, and to shop.”