It’s not just the shopping centers like Highpoint and Chadstone that are becoming crowded with flustered Christmas shoppers at the moment; online stores will be bombarded with frantic gift-buyers today and tomorrow.
December 12 and 13 are going to be the biggest online sales days as Christmas nears. e-Bay is coming in first, with an estimated 11 items being purchased a second by more than 2.7 million people visiting alone.
“We’re forecasting record-breaking @eBayAU sales on Dec. 12!” says e-Bay on Twitter.
The busiest days for online shopping have come a week later than previous years. This time last year, the use of mobile purchases overtook desktop purchases for the first time. Today’s tech savvy consumers are taking a much more relaxed approach to buying gifts online, because of the dramatically shortened Christmas delivery window. This is due to next day deliveries, click and collect and buy online pick up in store options.
e-Bay expects a peak in online purchases between 8pm and 9pm for desktop users and between 9pm and 10pm for mobile visitors. So anyone who wants to buy online this Christmas better get a wriggle on, because not only do you have the posting wait to look forward to, but the items you want might be sold out before you know it!
The most popular sellers for online gift purchasing this year will include health and beauty items and technology. e-Bay has come up with a gift list of the top 100 items that will be purchased over the next couple of days and here are some what they said:
Kids toys with a nostalgic twist:
People are reverting away from screens and going back to basics, with toys that remind them of their own childhood. For example Pokémon is back, after the success of “Pokémon Go” and as such, plush Pokémon toys are all the range.
And you know those outrageous ride-on-ponies that you have seen kids gliding around on, in shopping centers for the last couple of months? You can actually buy them on e-Bay!
Personalised Items
It’s so easy to get everything personalised with online shopping, you can use photos, 3D printing and have items engraved, such as wine glasses, wine labels, skateboards, wallets and clutches. According to e-Bay, “it’s the answer to every gift dilemma you’ve ever had”.
Technology:
If you’re going all out for someone special, you can’t go wrong with the latest and greatest technology. Check out the Apple Watch Sport for your sporty man or some good Bluetooth headphones. Headphones are everywhere at the moment and if your guy or girl doesn’t own a pair yet, then they don’t know what they’re missing. Sound quality is underrated I think.
Health
Swell water bottles are the thermo bottles that keep drinks cold for 24 hours! They will be perfect for you gym junkie friend (we’ve all got one). Come to think of it, a new yoga mat or some good quality training shoes and active wear would work too.
So if you’re not as organised as you were last year, and you want to buy gifts online, don’t worry, because you have been granted that extra week. (You can thank our every advancing technology and delivery services for that).
But you better step into the virtual, retail realm this week so you can still and get your special packages in time for Christmas!