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Brits set to get into the Christmas spirit today, research reveals

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By Ishbel Macleod, PR and social media consultant

October 30, 2013 | 2 min read

Brits are set to get into the Christmas spirit digitally from today, 30 October, research from iCrossing has found.

The digital marketing agency reviewed 79 million online searches for the most popular Christmas-themed phrases over the past five years, in order to discover when people begin to get into the spirit.

“Our data confirms that this year Christmas starts a whole week and a half earlier than five years ago,” iCrossing’s chief strategy officer, Mark Iremonger, said. “Whether you like it or not, Christmas planning in the UK starts in earnest in October with a big jump in Christmas related searches.

“Why this lengthening of the Christmas season? It's hard to say whether it's the retailers stimulating or responding to this consumer behaviour. But the fact remains that to be a winner at Christmas, retailers need to be on the ball in October.”

The research added that the experience of Christmas, rather than spending for the holiday, have dominated internet searches.

Iremonger added: “The growth in searches for Christmas songs, games, lights and decorations has been faster than the growth in presents and gifts. This suggests that with the squeeze on family incomes and falling discretionary spend, we are now focusing more on the experience of Christmas, rather than the expense.”

He predicted that the growth of experience rather than expense is set to grow this year.

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