Consumers urged to shop online for Xmas

Thursday, November 19th 2009

Britons looking to save money on their Christmas purchases this year should head online, according to consumer group Which?.

It says that research shows shoppers could save nearly £400 when buying 27 typical gifts over the internet compared with high street prices.

Fragrances and electronics-related presents brought the biggest savings, with items such as a Samsung TV, a bottle of Calvin Klein Eternity for Men and an Altec Lansing mp3 speaker dock all being significantly cheaper than offerings from bricks-and-mortar retailers.

However, supermarkets were generally found to beat the web when it came to entertainment products such as CDs, DVDs and books.

Melanie Dowding, deputy editor of Which? Online, commented: "If you're counting the pennies this Christmas, you're usually better off staying home and shopping online."

UK shoppers spent about £3.86 billion on purchases from e-commerce websites in September, according to figures from the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.