Shoppers to set record online sales next week

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 30-Nov-07, 11:40

LONDON - December 2 is set to become the busiest day for online shopping this Christmas, as well as setting a record for the busiest online shopping day of all time, according to research by Forrester.

Online shop eBay.co.uk and price comparison site Shopping.com combined data on user traffic and spending trends to pinpoint the date when most shoppers would be searching and spending the most online during the Christmas season.

EBay.co.uk expects 35m searches and 2.65m bids from shoppers on December 2, which is double the daily average. Categories predicted to receive the biggest increase in bids include dolls houses, antiques, jewellery and watches.

Shopping.com anticipates a 50% rise in shoppers on its site on December 2, compared to last year. It suspects flat panel TVs and gadgets, including the iPod Touch, will be popular search items.

Research conducted on eBay.co.uk also found that almost a quarter -- or 23% -- of users shop online to track down original or hard to find presents, while 67% choose internet shopping for the convenience factor. Over half -- or 51% -- shop online because it's cheaper.

This research follows a separate report released by Forrester, which predicted that the period from October to December will see €20bn (£14.4bn) spent online in the UK.