20% of consumers will sell unwanted Christmas gifts online

A study by market research technology company Instant.ly has revealed that 20% of people will sell unwanted Christmas gifts online this year on websites such as eBay. 16% of people will give unwanted gifts to charity and a surprising 9% will exchange them in store.

The study, which looked at the Christmas shopping behaviours of over 750 UK consumers, follows a stellar year for Christmas retail with many purchases being made online or on seasonal sales days such as Black Friday. Favourite gifts included clothes (50%), beauty products and perfume (35%) and smartphones or tablets (29%). It is expected that a returns surge will occur in early-mid January as recipients begin to make use of online and in-store returns services following the festive period.

Ben Leet, UK managing director of Instant.ly, said: “There was a clear trend towards e-commerce during the festive period and this study shows that consumers were not only purchasing online at Christmas, but also are planning on using the Internet as a way recycling unwanted gifts. Clothes were a favourite this year, with beauty products, smartphones and tablets following closely behind.”