Consumers looking for value for money this Christmas, survey finds

Heather McIlvaine

6th Dec 2018

Nearly three in five people are considering shopping on Amazon this Christmas, according to new research from global management consultancy, Oliver Wyman.

This is just one of the key findings from a recent survey of more than 1500 people from across the country about their purchasing plans in the lead-up to Christmas.

The survey also revealed that while people will look for unique gifts or goods with the recipient in mind, value for money is still the dominant purchase criteria for many.

This is in line with the finding that 42.8 per cent of survey respondents plan to spend less this year than last. Almost half the population (46.3 per cent) are looking to spend $500 or less, and 70 per cent are looking to spend $1000 or less.

Besides their willingness to consider Amazon this year, a third of survey respondents said they use the internet more broadly to find goods, though 52 per cent still prefer to buy items in-store.

Part of this may come down to the fact that 43.5 per cent of survey respondents said they expect to do their Christmas shopping at the last minute, when online purchases may no longer be an option.

In its report on the findings, Oliver Wyman noted that this suggests there is still a significant opportunity in last-minute shopping, justifying long hours in the coming weeks, despite the concern that Black Friday has cannibalised margins pre-Christmas.