Cookes Survey Reveals Christmas Consumer Shopping Habits in the Midlands

A survey from Midlands homeware retailer, Cookes Furniture, has revealed that 61% of us across the Midlands enjoy our annual Christmas shopping excursions and nearly a third (29%) enjoy the build up more than Christmas Day itself. This fits in with a European wide survey* which has found the British to be top of the Christmas shoppers out of the whole of Europe, with plans to spend £350 on gifts for family and friends this Christmas.

Tidings of Discomfort

Only 12% of those surveyed found shopping too stressful to enjoy at all. The biggest mood dampener was jostling crowds, which applied to half of respondents across the Midlands.

Another issue which was held responsible for curtailing our Christmas spirit was decorations going up too early with over a third (34%) citing this as their major bugbear. An inevitable problem for shoppers was parking, with almost 30% finding this the most unbearable part of their Christmas shopping spree. Other peeves were overheated shops, hyperactive children and blaring Xmas music.

48% of Midlanders profess to enjoy the big day itself, while 26% prefer Christmas Eve celebrations instead.

Only a fifth (22%) claimed to share shopping duties equally with their partner and 2% remained unaffected by the festive spending frenzy, not making any special Christmas purchases at all. 

Nearly two thirds of those surveyed claimed to do the majority of the annual family shopping, while a cheeky 7% admitted they still relied on Mum and Dad to take the retail reins. A charitable 20% believe Christmas is too commercial and would like to see more good-will initiatives at this time of year.

The Rest is Yet to Come

Over half of respondents, 55% believe Christmas is their time for rest and relaxation, although 14% were pessimistic about their chances of a Yule-time duvet day with kids and grandkids putting paid to a lie-in.

Snoozy Sutton-ites would most prefer a bed for Christmas, whilst true Brummies would rather invest in a stylish sofa.

When asked to pick a luxury item of homeware, the majority (46%) opted for a luxurious bed while only 7% were interested in a larger dining table. 5% people admitted that they don’t use a dining table at all while 7% had to host their Christmas dinner in several sittings due to lack of space or resort to side tables.

Respondents throughout the Midlands are generous hosts, with 35% planning to entertain between 5-10 people this Christmas, with almost a quarter of us (24%) entertaining an ambitious 10 people or more.

Nonetheless, nearly half people surveyed (48%) optimistically believe they have plenty of room for entertaining.

Bazaar Facts

The most popular Christmas theme this year for interiors amongst Midlanders is ‘Christmas Bazaar’, a traditional theme, featuring home-made bunting, wood and evergreen.

The second most popular trend was Nordic Chic, no doubt influenced by the recent resurgence in all things mid-century modern and the growing influence of Scandinavian TV dramas.

The sales are still bigger than Christmas for furniture retailers with almost a quarter (24%) people admitting to holding off buying large items and waiting for the sales – surprisingly only 4% buying purchases specifically to impress the relatives and put them up in style.

Our Survey:

Cookes surveyed a sample of customers and people with a professed interest in home furnishing in December 2014, covering a sample of approximately 2,000 people, which resulted in 109 results. Results were collated from respondents across the Midlands including the following areas: Central Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Hagley, Alvechurch, Solihull, Sutton, Stratford Upon Avon, Tamworth, Erdington, Shirley, Leamington Spa, Bewdley and Stafford.

The survey comprised 41% males, 58% females across all age ranges from 18 – 60+, with the predominant age range being from 18 – 30.

*ING, November 2014: Survey on Christmas spending behaviour

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Posted by Iconography Ltd
18th December 2014

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