25% of shoppers expected to spend more this Christmas according to Savvy Marketing research

Despite online shopping figures rising, 71 per cent of respondents said they would rather head towards a physical shop to do the all-important Christmas food shop.

Savvy Marketing head of insight, Alistair Lockhart, commented: “From the retailer’s perspective, there’s definitely more of an air of optimism this year – as you can see from the bulk of the Christmas TV ads which place an emphasis on the magic and sparkle of the festive season, rather than the more somber and realistic portrayals of family life seen last year.

“Whilst we agree that it will be a better Christmas for a number of retailers this year, it would be premature to pop the champagne corks just yet. Granted, consumer confidence has increased substantially during the past six months, but we anticipate that for many a reality check will set in once credit card bills start to land on shoppers’ door mats in January…For retailers and brands it is important to take account of economic improvement and rising confidence, while being careful not to jump too far ahead. Price, or more particularly value, will remain king in the eyes of consumers.”

With tablet ownership surging this year from 28 per cent to 46 per cent in the last 12 months, it’s somewhat surprising to see only 19 per cent of shoppers claiming they’ll do some kind of Christmas shopping using their tablet. Savvy Marketing suggests that tablets are more likely to be used by consumers to research presents and find inspiration.