Kelkoo indicates positive outlook for Christmas spending

It's business as usual this Christmas according to kelkoo.co.uk, the UK shopping comparison site. A recently commissioned survey investigating our Christmas spending habits has found that a surprising 60% of respondents won't be changing our spending habits this year, in spite of the gloomy economic conditions.

Who's buying what?
Of the people surveyed, just under half (42%) of respondents will be buying 10-20 presents this year with a generous 11.5% of respondents playing Santa and purchasing more than 30 presents for friends and family. 8.5% of people questioned reckon they will be pulling out all the stops this year and buying more presents than they did last year.

What's the average spend?
According to the survey, results were very evenly split between those who are planning ahead on what to spend and those who aren't - with 52% saying they won't be sticking to a budget. In terms of average spend, it seems that the majority of respondents (48%) will spend a modest £20 or less per present with quite a generous proportion (41.5%) spending between £21 and £50.

Bruce Fair, Managing Director, Kelkoo UK comments, "Despite the fact that we've all been feeling the pinch this year we still want to give generously to our nearest and dearest. While this is understandable, there are some things you can do to ensure you don't suffer from a January bill hangover. You will nearly always find the best value online opposed to the high street and filtering by price on Kelkoo.co.uk will make sure you avoid regretting paying over the odds come January when the bills arrive".

Time saving this Christmas
Internet shopping looks set to continue in popularity this Christmas with a whopping 78% of respondents opting to save time and money by buying online. An impressive amount of Brits surveyed (46%) reckon they'll save between 2-5 days by shopping this way and a further 35% said they would happily use their mobile phones to compare prices and save time rushing from store to store. This kind of considered spending and forward planning is reflected in the 77% of Brits who plan on methodically completing their Christmas shopping over a number of weeks, rather than as a last minute dash. The survey suggests that consumers will be much more aware of comparing prices this Christmas but it doesn't look like they'll be spending any less money.

Popular presents this year?
It seems consumer technology will be stuffing our stockings this Christmas, with 30% of people hoping to get some form of gadget - be it a Blackberry Bold, digital SLR camera, iPod or a games console. The Wii Fit looks set to be the most popular game, with 58% of those surveyed adding it to their Christmas wish list. Other popular games mentioned were Call of Duty, Football Manager 2009 and Gran Turismo 5. 76% of respondents said they were confident that their friends and family would get them the present they most want and wouldn't have to buy their dream gift for themselves.

Even pets will have something to look forward to this Christmas, with 62% of animal lovers planning to pamper their pooches with a Christmas present just for them.