Generous Britain (GB): Brits lead the way in Christmas gifting

A global study by online marketplace eBay has revealed we buy more Christmas gifts for more people than any other nation in Europe surveyed.

This year, the average British shopper will hunt for 16 gifts for an average of 9 different people, spending £225 by the time they’ve finished. Nearly one in ten (8%) Brits say they will buy 21 to 30 presents and three in ten will spend more than £320 in total on presents to go under the tree.

In contrast, the French will spend £184 on average, the Spanish will spend £167, while the thrifty Germans will spend £155.

Typically, the lion’s share of that money will be spent on kids. On average, Brits who have children will spend £199 on their presents.

But many of us will be doing our Christmas shopping sat on the sofa - or even in the bedroom. Two in five of us admit to Christmas shopping while under the duvet, so perhaps unsurprisingly one in ten will use their mobile more than last year. More than one fifth of us (22%) will also do more present shopping on our PCs.

It also appears that the traditional last minute rush may be a thing of the past. Only 5% of Brits typically leave their shopping to the week before Christmas while two out of five of us spread the cost of Christmas throughout the year by starting shopping early.

Perhaps surprisingly, more than a quarter of Germans (28%) describe their approach to Christmas shopping as ‘spontaneous’ while (perhaps unsurprisingly) those in Spain (10%) and Italy (14%) are most likely to leave it to the last minute.

eBay spokesperson Julia Hutton-Potts says: “The spirit of Christmas is clearly alive and well in the UK. Online and mobile shopping continues to grow in popularity as more and more people want the flexibility to shop when and where it suits them. This means shopping is done on your terms, whether you choose home delivery or the convenience of Click and Collect.”