eBay, the UK’s leading online marketplace, is forecasting that Sunday 4th December will be the busiest online shopping day of 2011, across both web and mobile platforms.
· Over five and a half million (5.8m) shoppers will log on to eBay.co.uk on ‘Super Sunday’, half a million more than last year which is equivalent to the entire population of Sheffield.[1]
· Sales will peak at over 30 gifts every second, nearly doubling the 16 gifts per second bought last year.[2]
· Items bought on smartphones will also double from last year with approximately two items bought every second[3].
· eBay expects the most popular categories for online Christmas shoppers to be mobile phones and accessories, fashion and homewares.
Retail industry body, IMRG, is forecasting 14% growth for December in the online market, but shopping behaviour is changing. In what is expected to be one of the most financially challenging Christmases in recent years, bargain lovers will flock to the site in search of great value gifting. Savvy shoppers aren’t acting on impulse but, are prepared to spend longer hunting for the best deals ensuring they get the most for their money, culminating online in a ‘Super Sunday’. Although the advent of smartphones has made web-enabled shopping even more accessible, traditionally Sunday has always been eBay’s busiest shopping day.
Your best friend may have been your shopping companion, but nowadays you’re more likely to turn to your mobile for your shopping advice. Shoppers are using their smartphones to price check from the high street as the line between online and in-store shopping continues to blur.
Angus McCarey, Retail Director for eBay UK, said:
“This will be another record-breaking ‘Super Sunday’ for eBay UK with sales volumes around six times as high as on an average Sunday in September. This is explained by the general shift in retail spending to online, and the popularity of shopping on smartphones which is accelerating that trend. Many people will have less to spend overall this Christmas, so they will do all they can to ensure they are getting a bargain. We’ll see people buying more for less with smaller gifts like mobile phone accessories and discounted high street fashion selling well on eBay this Christmas.”
eBay has also identified the top ten categories that over five million consumers will be browsing on December 4th. Whilst the categories we are shopping have remained mostly consistent with 2010, it’s telling that Toys have been bumped out of the top five list, while mobile phones and accessories have grown in popularity by 30% approx.
1. Mobile phones and accessories
2. Clothing and accessories
3. Home improvement
4. Computers
5. Photography equipment
6. Toys
7. Video Games
8. Health & beauty
9. Jewelry, gems, and watches
10. Audio equipment
ENDS
For further information, interviews with an eBay spokesperson, please contact Shine Communications on 0207 100 7100
Notes to editors:
1) Data source: eBay specific forecasting methods employed: applying 2010's busiest shopping day uplift to the weekly trend in 2011 and applying average YOY on 2010's busiest shopping day.
About eBay.co.uk
Founded in 1999, eBay.co.uk is the UK’s largest online shopping destination, providing a platform for over 17m unique visitors per month to buy and sell new, unique and used items in a fun and easy way.
• eBay has around 40 million live listings on the UK site, with fixed price goods accounting for the majority (61%) of items sold globally.
• Sellers of all sizes, including 180,000 registered businesses and over 100 well-known brands and retailers use eBay.co.uk to reach the UK’s largest online shopping audience.
• The eBay fashion Outlet sells products from over 30 high street brands at up to 70% off the recommended retail price.
• Over 4m shoppers regularly look for Clothing, Shoes and Accessories on eBay.co.uk. Transaction volume on eBay Fashion grew 30% YoY over 2010, outstripping the market.
• eBay.co.uk is owned by eBay Inc, which has expanded to include a range of brands that help consumers find and purchase the goods they want including eBay, PayPal, Shopping.com, RedLaser, Milo and others.
eBay mobile facts
· Over 20 million people have now downloaded the core iPhone eBay app across the globe.
· eBay mobile users are visiting the mobile website 10-15 times a day.
· 300,000 new eBay shoppers made their first eBay purchase through the company’s mobile apps between January and May 2011.
· eBay mobile applications are available in more than 190 countries and eight languages.
· eBay mobile apps have been downloaded over 50 million times globally.
· Mobile shoppers on eBay.co.uk have bought more than 30 million items through iPhone and WAP since July 2008.
· There are up to 380,000 daily visits to eBay.co.uk via mobile apps, and more than 170,000 UK mobile shoppers spend over £30 with the eBay mobile app per week.
· In 2010, global eBay sales via a mobile device more than tripled, generating $2 billion in sales – up from $600m in 2009. This is set to more than double again in 2011 to over $5 billion.
· Globally an item is purchased every second using the eBay app.