December 10 set to be busiest shopping day

In a comprehensive survey of the nation’s shopping habits, Clothes Show Live has discovered that the UK's busiest shopping day in 2011 will be December 10, with the peak shopping time being 2.30pm. The survey, which talked to over 3,000 people,

also revealed that female shoppers will visit 14 shops looking for Christmas gifts, while men will visit just six shops.

The survey also found that while over half of UK shoppers will carry out a majority of their Christmas shopping on December 10, more shoppers than ever are planning on leaving their Christmas shopping to the last minute, with over a quarter of those surveyed leaving their shopping until the week commencing December 18 in the hopes of bagging a bargain, and one in 10 people leaving their shopping until Christmas Eve.

The research also discovered that this Christmas people will be spending less money on friends and family but will be spending more money on presents for themselves. This year the average spend will be £352 per person, in comparison to £381 last year; with Londoners spending the highest amount with an average spend per person of £382 while people living in Sheffield will spend on average £254. Despite the average spend on presents for friends and family going down; people actually plan to increase the amount of money they spend on themselves this year by 30% as this value increases from £50 in 2010 to £65 in 2011.

Maryam Hamizadeh, Show Producer for Clothes Show Live, commented: “It’s interesting to discover that the majority of UK consumers will be spending less money on Christmas presents for friends and family but will be spending more on presents for themselves this year. With the constant news of doom and gloom in the economy it’s not surprising people want to bring a little more cheer to their lives and give themselves a Christmas treat.”