Online bargains and speedy delivery will drive more people than ever to shop online this Christmas, according to new research for PayPal UK. Almost 39 million people will be clicking their way through some or all of this year’s Christmas shopping – over three quarters (79 per cent) of all those surveyed.

Since last year there has been an increase of three per cent (around 1.8 million people) to over 10 million people who plan to do the vast majority of their Christmas shopping over the internet.

Rob Skinner, Consumer Affairs Manager at PayPal says: “Christmas is always a busy time of year and online shopping is the perfect way to avoid the crowds and grab a bargain. This year will see a mobile Christmas, with many getting a smartphone as a present, and others doing at least some of their Christmas shopping on their mobile.”

This year online shoppers plan to spend an average of £245 – an eight per cent increase on last year’s spend – and totalling £9.5 billion to be spent in the run up to Christmas. The good news for retailers continues as the group who shops most online (those aged 18-34) are also planning the biggest increase in online spend, up 23 per cent from £196 last year to £241 in 2011.

Worryingly though, despite online shopping being the norm for most shoppers, many are still failing to take basic safety measures – with one in five admitting to using the same password for various sites, and over a third (36 per cent) saying they forget to look for the padlock icon that indicates a secure site when making a payment (although they know what it is). Overall, around two and a half million people (five per cent) do not take ANY precautions to protect themselves when shopping online.

Rob Skinner continues: “Online festive shopping is incredibly convenient, but we’d urge shoppers to take a few simple steps to ensure that they stay safe online this Christmas.”

Share Story: