BrandAlley says half of customers will shop on Christmas Day

On Christmas Day traditional brick and mortar stores will be closed, but consumers will still be shopping from the comfort of their own homes. In a survey published by BrandAlley UK, a private sale website of luxury fashion,

findings stated nearly 47 percent of UK consumers will be online shopping on Christmas Day.

Customers

most likely to shop for discount designer items

The findings come as 2000 of its customers revealed they were most likely to spend money on designer items that were discounted. The research was commissioned to track the psychological shift in the nation’s shopping habits, suggesting consumers are going to more extreme lengths to get designer discount items.

Some 10 percent of respondents admitted to pushing in front of someone in a queue, while other confessed to neglecting friends and family, calling sick at work and even being physically injured in their quest.

Consumer psychology professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire said that for some people, “hunting down a bargain is like a sport. It brings out their competitive side and they can’t bear to lose out to others. Being the first to bag a bargain - and beating others to it - gives them a buzz similar to their numbers coming up on the lottery or backing the winning horse."

Earlier this year, 5 percent of BrandAlley’s UK sales came via mobile, which is expected to rise to 20 percent by the end of this year. The company has been working towards “the easiest, fewest clicks route to browse and pay."

In January, BrandAlley's ceo Rob Feldman led a management buyout of 33 million pounds, which saw the business move away from its parent company BrandAlley France. The decision to break away was made because BrandAlley in the UK was falling behind by being tied to its French parent, which serves a country where e-commerce is developing at a slower pace than in the UK.

Image: BrandAlley