According to results from an independent survey of multi-channel retailers, commissioned by Barclays’ Retail & Wholesale banking team, retailers expect to see growth across all of their sales channels over Christmas. Technology is firmly in the spotlight for the upcoming festive season, with tablets expected to be retailers’ main sales channel from a growth perspective and a potential increase of 21% of those shopping for gifts via social networking sites.
Richard Lowe, Head of Retail & Wholesale at Barclays, commented: "2014 has been a good year for many retailers thanks to heightened consumer confidence and this is clearly reflected in their brighter outlook for the Christmas season. It’s interesting to see that purchases on tablets have been cited as retailers’ biggest opportunity for growth and social commerce is also one to watch in the future, as ‘buy buttons’ on social networking sites will make online shopping even more accessible."
Influence from across the Atlantic is reflected by up to 65% of retailers planning Black Friday promotions on 28th November, the day after Thanksgiving, one of the most important shopping days in the U.S. retail calendar. 69% of those surveyed also said that they expect the popularity of Black Friday promotions to continue to gain traction in the UK in the years ahead.
The busiest online shopping day in America, Mega Monday, is another US tradition set for the UK. Set to fall on 1st December, nearly all (96%) of the retailers questioned predicted that traffic will increase to their site on Mega Monday, compared to last year.
Richard Lowe continued: "The UK hasn’t seen Black Friday and Mega Monday fall on the same weekend since 2008 so retailers will be pulling out all the stops to make it a great shopping experience with some dazzling offers. However, some consumers will opt to leave their Christmas shopping later than this, thanks to improved delivery and Click and Collect options."
