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17 December 2019The "Panic Saturday" is coming, the day - next 21 December - in which the procrastinators will run for cover by buying all the Christmas presents in a single shopping session. Last year the latecomers were 130 million and for this year the data is expected to be confirmed. And if the causes of this chronic delay in Christmas shopping has multiple causes, starting from an economic availability fluctuating up to the indecision resulting from performance anxiety, one thing is certain: Christmas shopping is a phenomenon now mostly online. According to a National Retail Federation survey, 73% of consumers said they wanted to use their smartphone, tablet or other electronic devices to carry out research and comparisons related to Christmas gifts.


The result is a race for the Christmas gift that always passes from online devices, even when you then choose to buy in stores: in jargon it's called "Christmas digital experience". This is a new and increasingly disruptive trend which, according to the National Retail Federation survey, has an immediate effect on online purchases with an estimated increase between 11% and 14%. And Italy does not lag behind. To confirm this trend, also a Compass report, according to which almost 9 out of 10 Italians will buy online. A preferred solution compared to the specialized center (42%), the shopping center (41%) and the store (16%). In fact, Italian consumers, and this is what the Deloitte Xmas Survey also says, will use the online channel for 32% of total Christmas expenses. Thus, if in 2018 the pre-Christmas online purchases had taken off marking a + 20% on the previous year, 2019 has all the numbers to mark a new e-commerce record. Among the sectors that are most successful, even electronics - with smartphones and tablets on their heads - and clothing, followed by gift cards, a passe partout gift appreciated by everyone.