Shoppers in the U.K. expect to spend less online during Christmas week than usual, according to a survey.
Cyber Boxing Day—an online shopping "holiday" that corresponds with Boxing Day, Dec. 26—is normally one of the busiest online shopping days of the year. But only 11 percent of shoppers surveyed by YouGov Plc. said they plan on shopping online that day, down from 15 percent in 2010.
Even more disappointing for merchants hoping to clear out inventory before the start of the new year, just 12 percent said they plan to shop online during Cyber Boxing Week (Dec. 27 to Dec. 31), down from 29 percent in 2010.
The day after Christmas "is the busiest overall online shopping day of the year in the U.K., behind Cyber Monday," says Matthew Cheng, founder of CyberBoxingDay.co.uk. "The steep drop in people planning to shop online for Boxing Day sales is an ominous sign for retailers in general."
Cyber Boxing Day is also observed in Australia and Canada. The usual spike in sales during Christmas week is largely attributed to "aggressive discounting" by retailers and to the redemption of gift vouchers. The survey did reveal that 11 percent plan to browse or shop online in 2012 for January sales.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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