New data released by eBay Advertising today suggests brands could be failing to capitalise on the UK’s final hour festive shopping frenzy. The publisher has revealed that the final day and hours before Christmas Day is prime “present panic” time for consumers, with daily searches on eBay.co.uk rising by 50% overnight between 23rd and 24th December last year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, men are most likely to suffer from “present panic;” last year, they were more than twice as likely as women to still be searching for “Christmas” items on ebay.co.uk on Christmas Eve. In fact, in the final hour of the day (11pm – midnight), they made more than seven searches for dresses per minute on the site, offering huge potential for marketers to give last minute present buyers a chance to redeem themselves.
Marketers have plenty of other opportunities to engage in this period, as Brits turn their attention to selfish shopping. For example, women made more than 10 searches per minute for “coat” on eBay.co.uk between 11pm and midnight on Christmas Eve last year and, on the same day, searches in the automotive category rose to their highest level for three months, as shoppers relished having time to think about themselves. And in the week after Christmas last year, there was a 52% rise in searches for “shoes” amongst women compared with the previous week, with the increase most pronounced in the 25-34 years age group.
Even during our Christmas Day traditions there is a huge shopping audience for brands to tap into, with more than 8 searches made per minute for “watch” during the Queen’s Speech last year. And as the Christmas season draws to a close, consumers continue make the most of having more shopping time on their hands.
Phuong Nguyen, Director, eBay Advertising UK, commented: “Consumer behaviour in the run up to Christmas is much more varied than many brands recognise, and success is not as simple as allocating marketing budget to the first three weeks in December. Our data shows that there are rich opportunities for brands to engage with purchase-ready consumers online right up to midnight on Christmas Eve – and beyond into the final days of the year.”
Pauline Robson, Director, MediaCom Real World Insight, said: “This data reveals the digital equivalent of the last-minute dash around the shops on Christmas Eve and there are extensive opportunities for brands to engage with shoppers online right up until Christmas Eve and beyond. The buying doesn’t stop on Christmas Day – in 2014 shoppers were estimated to have spent £440,000 a minute online on 25th December. Understanding what and how consumers buy is crucial if brands want to win a share of this spend.”