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Amazon.co.uk is expecting its busiest Christmas Day yet, having seen sales on 25th December 25 grow by more than fivefold over the past five years.
Orders are expected to peak at 12.26pm when many people will be downloading books, movies, TV shows and music to newly received digital devices like Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets.
In 2013, Christmas Day was the busiest day for sales of Kindle books, apps, digital music and digital video games on Amazon.co.uk, with X Factor winner Sam Bailey’s ‘Skyscraper’ being the top selling track, One Direction’s ‘Midnight Memories’ the most downloaded album and ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ by Helen Fielding the most downloaded Kindle book.
Historically, Amazon.co.uk has seen some of these shopping trends on Christmas Day: a surge of last minute shopping from midnight to 11am when sales are dominated by printable and email gift cards; and a rise in digital downloads at midday. With the first presents opened and an hour or so before lunch, shoppers head to amazon.co.uk to purchase Kindle books, movies, TV shows and MP3 products for their new devices, with the day’s sales set to peak at 12.26pm.
Sales of cases for devices, video games, video games accessories and even coffee capsules increase at lunchtime as customers order products to use with their new Christmas gifts.Redemption of gift cards also increases at this time.
Sales dip around 3pm in time for The Queen’s speech, as the nation stops what they are doing to watch the monarch give her traditional televised address, and peak again at 9.02pm, as customers relax after the day’s festivities and get an early start on their Boxing Day Deals Week shopping.
“The trends that emerge hour by hour on December 25 give us a fascinating insight into how the UK spends Christmas Day – from saving the day with a last minute gift card to downloading eBooks on a new Kindle and shopping the sale,” said Xavier Garambois, vice president of EU retail at Amazon.
Christopher North, managing director at Amazon.co.uk, added: “Christmas Day is our biggest day of the year for downloads of books, apps, music, films and TV shows as people look to enjoy the new devices they have received on Christmas morning,” said. “By the evening, customers are ready to get a head start on their sales shopping with everything from homeware to fashion to big ticket technology proving popular.”
This year Amazon.co.uk will launch its biggest ever Boxing Day Deals Week sale. Running from 4pm on Christmas Day until 11.30pm on December 31, more than 1,600 offers will be available – ‘hundreds more than last year’ – with an average of 35% off current Amazon.co.uk prices. Deals will include clearance offers, digital deals and ‘Lightning Deals’ – limited quantity, limited time deals.
The offers available during Boxing Day Deals Week include: Philips HR2160/50 Blender with Pulse and Ice Crush, 600 Watt in black. The current Amazon.co.uk price is £39.99; the Boxing Day Deals Week price is £24.99 – representing a saving of £15 (price is correct as of December 19 and is subject to change).
