Men dominate last-minute gifting in Kent
Virgin Media O2 reveal new data showing festive shopping habits
With Christmas just days away, Kent's high streets are bustling as shoppers sprint to complete their last-minute lists.
New research from Virgin Media O2 reveals one in eight people leave most of their shopping until the final week before Christmas, with men significantly more likely than women to make a dash for gifts on Christmas Eve.
While women dominate shopping early in the festive season, Virgin Media O2’s anonymised mobile data highlighted a striking shift on Christmas Eve last year, when men outnumbered women by 6 percentage points in the UK’s busiest shopping districts.
Our reporter Martha Tipper spoke with shoppers in Dartford as the final countdown to Christmas looms:
One man said "I am a typical man, and a last-minute shopper. I'm completely winging it."
Another woman said she finished getting all her gifts by November: "I'm just here to get quality streets. I get all ahead because my son and my husband are in November birthdays so I get it all done before. I think last-minute shoppers are crazy. I can't think of anything worse than coming out this week."
Virgin Media O2 confirmed that men wait an average of 10 days longer than women to start Christmas shopping, often leaving it down to the wire. Two in five men (40%) said the reason for their late start was simply because “I thought I had more time.” Women, however, are more likely to cite busy schedules as the key factor.
Lisa Johnstone, Director of Priority, Loyalty & Reward at Virgin Media O2, said, “While lots of us leave gifting until the last minute—our data suggesting many men will be making a Christmas Eve dash this year—it’s not too late to choose something truly special. Experiences can be a meaningful alternative to physical items and make lasting memories.”
Rise of experiential gifting
For Millennials and Gen Z, experiences are becoming a preferred festive gift over traditional items, with Virgin Media O2 discovering that 40% of people favour experiences, a figure rising to 55% for Millennials and 53% for Gen Z.
The festive atmosphere in Dartford is mirrored across Kent, where shoppers cite similar reasons for leaving gifting until late:
Men:
Thought I had more time (40%)
Forgot to buy a gift (36%)
Like doing all shopping in one go (22%)
Hoping someone else would do it (14%)
Women:
Life was too busy (44%)
Had to do bulk shopping for family (24%)
Forgot to buy a gift (26%)
Late, great gift idea (21%)