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Friday 16 December 2016 3:00 am

Only a quarter of us are getting our festive haul on the high street

By: Helen Cahill

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Only a quarter of UK shoppers are collecting their haul on the high street this year, preferring to stay at home instead and order goods online.

Figures from research company Qualtrics suggest that the proportion of Britons who are willing to physically search for gifts is falling. Last year, 29 per cent of people in the UK said they would be getting their Christmas goods on the high street.

Read more: Burger King is going to swap unwanted Christmas gifts for Whoppers

And the internet is more than just a place to make orders. It has also become a place where products are reviewed and recommended, although the research showed that people are more likely to read other shoppers' recommendations than product reviews online.

But customers are more likely to find out about new products through TV adverts and word-of-mouth than they are through social media.

Read more: High street retailers had a shocking Black Friday comeback

Ian McVey, UK director of Qualtrics, said: "Upbeat Brits continue to defy concerns about our future post Brexit. They are increasingly at home online where they can look at each others' social reviews and compare prices.

"Retailers are using sophisticated analysis to make online shopping a personalised, pain free and relevant experience."

This weekend will be one of the busiest for retailers looking in to cash in on festive gift-buying. Shoppers could spend as much as £2.6bn on cards this Saturday according to Worldpay.

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