By the numbers: Christmas 2009 edition

To some, Christmas is about sharing a big turkey dinner with family and friends. For others, it’s about carolling and spreading good cheer. And for many in retail, Christmas is all about the numbers: what percentage is spending how much money, and whether it’s a greater or lesser sum than last year. Here’s a roundup of figures to sate your yuletide yen for statistics: 

• Slightly more women than men will be shopping online this Christmas, predicts comparison shopping engine Twenga. Seventy-seven percent of UK women will use the internet for their Christmas shopping, up 16 percent from last year, compared with 74 percent of men.

• Of the 2,804 people surveyed for the e-Customer Service Index from eDigitalResearch and IMRG, 93 percent plan to do at least some of their Christmas gift shopping online in 2009. Seventy-one percent are prepared to do at least half of their shopping online.

• A survey by YouGov on behalf of Verisign, however, estimates a lower percentage of online shoppers: 86 percent of the UK population. The same survey found that Brits plan to spend 32 pence in every pound online. In comparison, the French will spend 30 cents in every euro, the Germans 28 cents in every euro, and the Swedes 21 öre in every krona online.

• But only 16 percent of Brits plan to spend more on Christmas presents this year than last. Germans plan to be even more frugal: Only 10 percent of Germans intend to increase their spend. Then again, 20 percent of Spanish shoppers plan to spend more on presents this year.

• Although they may not plan to spend more on the whole this Christmas, a study by GSI and Maximiles of 2,043 British adults found that a quarter of people are willing to spend more than £1,000 on a single product online this Christmas, compared with just 12 percent in 2008.

• Whilst just 5 percent of people were positively influenced by the option to buy online and pick up in-store in 2008, this Christmas the percentage rose to 29 percent, according to the GSI eTail Report.

• Also from the GSI report: If two shops are offering the same product for the same price, 94 percent of consumers will choose the online store that offered free delivery. That’s up from 68 percent the previous year. The second most important factor was the ability to choose a specific delivery time (45 percent in 2009, up from 16 percent last year).

• When the eTail Report asked what would most likely deter a shopper from making a repeat purchase, 68 percent of respondents cited late delivery, an increase from 28 percent in 2008. In second place was a convoluted returns or refund procedure, with 76 percent.

• According to IMRG and eDigitalResearch, 60 percent of respondents were confident that their orders would be delivered in time for Christmas. The postal strikes are expected to have dented consumer confidence, though, with 27 percent of the people surveyed for the Verisign study deterred from shopping online for fear that goods won’t arrive in time.

• Finally, Mintel forecasts 2 percent growth in retail sales this Christmas compared with 2008.