Men are canny Christmas shoppers

Heavy discounting in the annual post Christmas sales was enough to tempt 14 per cent of Britons to delay buying presents until after 25th December. A YouGov survey commissioned among 2000 adults by Shopping.com, the UK's largest online shopping price comparison site, discovered that despite tradition, many people didn't get to open their presents on Christmas day.

The survey found that surprisingly, it was men who were more likely to wait in the hope of bagging a bargain than women. Northern men between the age of 35 and 44 were most likely to delay buying presents until after Christmas whilst Scottish women over 55 were the least likely to throw tradition to the wind in order to save money.

Online shopping trends
Shopping.com online activity in the week before Christmas showed the biggest year-on-year increases in toys and games (290%), consumer electronics (100%) and homes and gardens (93%) as shoppers hunted around for the best deals. Overall, Shopping.com reported that activity was up 59% on the same period last year with strong performances in relatively new categories such as footwear, clothing and fragrance.

The post-Christmas rush started shortly after the last mouthful of Christmas pud as shoppers flocked online to check prices on Christmas Day. According to David Mackenzie, UK country manager of Shopping.com, 'Retailers were cutting prices heavily before Christmas, but online shoppers can find even more bargains now the holiday is over.' Shopping.com has the widest selection of products of all the online comparison sites in the UK, with leading retailers including John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Asda, Amazon, Curry's and Dixon's.

Shopping.com price comparison chart - before and after Christmas:

Product Best Christmas Eve price | Best Boxing Day price | Saving

Apple ipod touch £204 £146 £58

Sony Playstation 3
(Black Console) £280 £260 £20

M&S Autograph
grey wool jacket £150 £100 £50

Sony Bravia 32"
Flat panel TV £362 £324 £38

A recent report indicated that people who shopped online spent 15 per cent more than those who went to the high street. There are more online stores this year and 58 per cent of Britons have broadband at home as opposed to 52 per cent last year. Monday 22nd was the busiest online shopping day before the Christmas holidays and there is a surge of activity during pre-Christmas lunch breaks as people use the office computer to shop online.