Men are officially the best Christmas shoppers, research has shown. A study of 2,000 Brits pitted the genders against one another to discover who has the best approach when it comes to bagging the goods.
And men it was who emerged as the winners, with 30% regularly getting all of their Christmas shopping completed in one swoop.
Guys were found to get their shopping done in less time and act more decisively overall.
The research, which was commissioned by Bluewater - Europe’s leading retail, leisure and events destination, also found guys were happier to ask for advice from a shop assistant rather than go back and forth between shops.
Bluewater‘s General Manager, Robert Goodman, commented:
”Men and women clearly have differing approaches when it comes to Christmas shopping.
”The results show men are quicker overall and perhaps better at being decisive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are better shoppers in terms of finding the right present for the right person.
”Women prefer to make more of the experience and seem to go to greater lengths to put in the thought, time and effort that ensures their gift will be well received, where guys perhaps see shopping as a task to be done with as much efficiently as possible.”
It’s not only a battle of the sexes, as it seems even age comes to play in shopping efficiency – 18-24 year olds are the most effective shoppers, with 32% doing all their Christmas shopping in one go, whilst only 1 in 10 45-54 year olds have this approach.
It also seems as a whole, Brits get stingier with age – with generous 18-24 year olds splashing out an average of £54.78 on a present for their mum, whereas 45-54 year olds plan to spend over twenty pounds less at £32.17.
Women will buy more presents on average – purchasing 23, compared to blokes who cover their list with only 18 gifts.
Over two thirds of women admitted they often go back and forth between the shops when deciding on one present in particular- men were almost 30% less likely to put in this level of dedication.
Men get their shopping done in 20% quicker, taking just over nine hours to get everything – with the average woman taking over eleven and a half at least.
And the decisiveness pays off – guys are quicker at finding the right present, taking 44 minutes per present on average while women take at least 50 minutes per gift.
Men are also happier to consult a shopping assistant for help or advice when searching for those crucial Christmas presents.
Blokes are also far more likely to avoid browsing the shelves with just a third claiming they enjoy doing this compared to nearly two thirds of women.
Men are almost twice as likely as women to get the whole of their Christmas shopping done in one single go – three in ten men admit this is their regular approach.
In fact, a third of confident chaps are convinced they are a far more efficient shopper than their partner.
The guys are also more confident in their purchases after making them; just a quarter of men have bought a present and later decided it wasn’t suitable for the person and changed it, while over 40% of women have regretted a purchase.
Women will visit at least eight shops during the average shopping trip, while men get the job done by visiting six- and the girls are also more likely than men to indulge in a coffee break when hitting the shops.
Goodman continued:
”It’s interesting to see the difference in shopping tactics, but the focus shouldn’t really be about how quickly our Christmas shopping gets done, but more towards the thought, time and effort that goes into buying them.”
© Andresr | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
