PwC has today released a survey on the spending habits of Irish people on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. The survey was a nationally representative sample of 1000 Irish adults aged over 18.  

The survey reveals that a third (32%) of survey respondents plan to spend more on Black Friday/Cyber Monday compared to last year and 26% will spend more in the run-up to Christmas. Irish consumers are also broadly positive about the economy with a quarter (25%) of survey respondents believing that Ireland's economy will perform better in the year ahead; a further 50% believe it will perform the same as this year.

One fifth (19%) of survey respondents confirmed that they will purchase on Black Friday/Cyber Monday; a further 37% are considering it. Shoppers are polarised in their views of Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping – 61% of 18-34 year olds intend to purchase, while only 7% of the over 55s will purchase.

Just 20% of shoppers expect to do the majority of their Christmas shopping on Black Friday/Cyber Monday while the majority (60%) of survey respondents still expect to do it in December. Nearly one in ten (9%) have done their Christmas shopping already!

Commenting on the report, Senior Manager at PwC Retail & Consumer practice, Grace McCullen said, "The majority of survey respondents still do their Christmas shopping in December and, while Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping may be opportunistic presenting a huge retail opportunity, there is plenty more opportunity in December. Black Friday/Cyber Monday drives footfall to stores and conversions online. Proactive retailers should leverage that appetite and seek to maximise the extended Christmas trading period, capitalising on targeted promotions and margin management opportunities."

Source: www.businessworld.ie