Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
A survey by eBay reveals that, with four weeks to go until Christmas, one in five of us will be putting our decorations up this weekend.
Sales of Christmas decorations are up 20% on eBay compared to last November. Research commissioned by the online marketplace has also uncovered that Coventry as the most festive city, with one in 10 households setting their tree up with six weeks to go.
In comparison, it appears Scrooge lives in Chelmsford, with 38% of the city opting to put the decorations up with just a week or less before Christmas Day.
When it comes to styling our homes this Christmas, Brits are divided, with those in Bristol opting for reams of tinsel trimming as the number one choice (74%), whilst homes in Dublin will be filled with traditional nativity scenes.
Londoners were identified as the biggest fans of holly and mistletoe, whilst candy canes will most likely be found in Worcester homes.
When it comes to the Christmas tree of 2013, the research reveals that the traditional angel is out of favour and the star will be taking pride of place in most homes, with 44% of the nation naming it as their favourite ‘top of the tree’ decoration choice.
According to the research of 2,000 UK residents conducted by One Poll this month, the typical Christmas tree this year will consist of a star, white lights, baubles and home-made decorations.
Sales of stars on eBay are outselling the traditional angel decoration two to one, with sales of white fairy lights up by 30% year-on-year. Coloured fairy lights are a thing of the past, with over a third (36%) of the nation claiming white lights as their new favourite style.
Sales of artificial Christmas trees are also up, as over half (56%) of the nation plan to ditch real trees this festive season, and a massive 54% of Brits will decorate their house with home-made decorations, as this year’s up-cycling trend is set to continue into Christmas time.
eBay spokesman Steven Heywood said: “It seems that this year, festive Brits have been getting into the Christmas spirit much earlier then usual. We’ve seen sales of home-made Christmas decorations and arts and craft sets soar over the last month as it appears this December more Brits than ever will be designing their decorations themselves.”
