Britons seek Xmas gifts from trusted names, global shoppers will buy from UK

International gift shoppers are set to buy from the UK as they do their Christmas shopping this year while British consumers will be heading to M&S, Boots, Nike and Adidas.

Those are some of the conclusions of a new survey of 5,000 people across EMEA and APAC by Rakuten Marketing, which said that UK brands seem to be very popular among shoppers abroad. In fact, as many as 45% of international respondents said they’d make a purchase from the UK this Christmas season. 

Rakuten said that two-thirds of shoppers generally plan to consider buying gifts from overseas this time. And UK brands topped the popularity list for those who plan to shop across borders, especially those from Germany (60%), Singapore (49%) and Australia (44%).

Discounts are key for a large number of shoppers, but the attitude to money-off deals seems to vary widely around the world. For instance, Rakuten said that 41% of Britons say they’re not led by discounts or sales when holiday shopping, while an even bigger 43% of Germans agree and 31% of those in France. But in China, an almost-universal 98% said they’re led by discounts and sales. The numbers in Singapore (92%) are almost as high.

The researchers also said that under-pressure UK retailers looking to maximise their opportunities this season need to specifically target foreign foreign shoppers. 

To read more, click here.