Online shoppers think plastic is fantastic for Xmas

European online shoppers will prefer to use credit cards rather than debit cards or PayPal when buying their Christmas presents this year.

According to a survey of 2,500 consumers across France, Germany and the UK conducted by online behaviour research specialist comScore, 76 per cent of French online shoppers plan to buy presents now and pay later on their credit cards. This is around three times as many as their counterparts willing to pay with plastic in Germany and the UK, and brings the average of online consumers using credit cards over Christmas to 41 per cent.

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The average proportion of debit card use by shoppers across the three countries came in at 38 per cent.

The survey also found marked differences in how early consumers planned to start their Christmas shopping. UK consumers are the most eager to kick off the festive spirit: 48 per cent of respondents had already started when the survey was held, between 22 and 28 October. French consumers are more laid-back, with 38 per cent not starting until the end of November.

Growth in overall spending over the festive period is likely to be static but the research shows more than two and a half times as many online shoppers expect to spend more this year than last year.

The most marked change is in the UK, where only 19 per cent of consumers expect to spend more overall for Xmas this year. This compares to 43 per cent of Bris who plan to spend more online than last year, suggesting that while consumer spending has slowed, online spending as a proportion continues to grow.

comScore's head of international markets Bob Ivins said online sales appear set to continue growing at a much faster rate than total retail sales and could be the difference between an OK Christmas and a great Christmas for some retailers.

He said the popularity of online shopping is set to reach an all-time-high this year as time-squeezed consumers can be expected to spend more time shopping and buying Christmas gifts online.