Year: 2010

The Lowest December Christmas sales on record since 1998

The total amount of sales in December, 2010, fell one billion pounds in comparison to December, 2009. The total amount of sales amounted to 38.2 billion pounds in December, 2010. A combination of poor weather conditions and low consumer confidence has been highlighted as the main causes for the slump. Snow blighted the UK transport system in the run-up to Christmas, with consumers having difficulty traveling to shops, and online retailers having difficulty sending items through the post. Throughout 2010, on average, Inflation has increased higher than wages, lowering the purchasing power of consumers, and VAT increased to 20% in January, 2011, both have contributed to low consumer confidence.

Year: 2007

How did online sales effect the high street in 2007?

Overall Christmas sales were up for 2007, but while online sales boomed for 2007, the high street generally reported poor trading. It has led some retailers to issue a profit warning. Analysts believe consumers have simply moved over to online shopping, and this is the cause of the high street slump. Analysts also expect a double digit increase for Internet retailing in 2008. While some observers believe that increased mortgage payments and energy bills, alongside uncertainty with debt and the growth of economy is to blame for consumer confidence, it does appear online sales is chiefly to blame as well.

The sales are beginning earlier than ever!

Promotions in October and November of 2007 fueled a rise in spending compared to 2006. Both online and high street sectors reported a 0.7% rise. Though people have complained for years that retailers begin their festive period earlier and earlier, it actually was the case for 2007. With the credit crunch and Northern Rock crisis, banks were less willing to lend money than previously. Consumers were more cagey than in previous years, and the only way retailers could entice spending was by adopting three-for-two offers and discount days in the Christmas run up. So, will 2008 be the same? reports suggest it will, predicted economic growth for 2008 looks low, and retailers will need to employ the same tactics as 2007.

Register early

It's a good idea to begin registering online for all the major retailers, and signup for a loyalty card if available. You may ask why? well, if you select to join their mailing list, retailers will supply you with all the latest secret sales, offers, discounts and voucher codes. While there may be voucher code sites online, they tend to get their codes late and from the same source. Many retailers are also becoming discreet, trying to bypass the likes of myvouchercodes, and only provide their codes to selected customers. The codes are only available for short periods, so being on a mailing list is important, most of the voucher sites are out-of-date, with most codes listed useless.

Hot product of 2007?

Without question it has to be the Nintendo Wii, parents were literally tearing their hair out and putting sites on constant refresh to find a Wii for sale. All the way through 2007 Nintendo have immediately sold out the Wii the minute it hit the shelves or shopping cart windows. .



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