More than half of Brits will start Christmas shopping pre-December as fear of supply chain issues and cross-border delivery delays set in

Brits are buying early as consumers brace themselves for a winter of delivery delays and border hold-ups, according to new research from Avalara, Inc. (NYSE: AVLR).

Just over half (51%) of British shoppers are planning to start their holiday shopping pre-December this year, with an incredible 19% of eager elves starting before November. The lure of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales has captured shoppers' attention this year, with 18% opting to start filling their baskets during the sales window compared to just 11% last year.

Those who have moved their holiday shopping window to earlier in the year cited concerns over delivery delays due to the supply chain crisis as their primary reason for the shift (34%), followed by worries over delays to cross-border delivered over Brexit customs issues (28%), and fears that a second wave of Covid lockdowns or restrictions could have an impact (26%).

Yet despite these concerns, Brits are unwilling to throw money at the problem to secure their deliveries. Over a third (38%) of consumers admitted that they had abandoned a delivery after finding out there was a customs fee to pay, half (50%) said they wouldn’t be prepared to spend anything on additional customs charges for goods, and only 1 in 5 would be willing to pay almost any customs excess in order to ensure Santa delivered their gifts on time for Christmas morning.

Alex Baulf, Senior Director, Global Indirect Tax at Avalara, said: “Though this holiday season is set to be one of the busiest on record for many sellers, there’s a lot of nervousness about the external headwinds that might impact the festive season. From supply chain issues, to cross-border delivery days, and the fear of further Covid restrictions, retailers and shoppers need to plan ahead. For sellers, that means getting the essentials like your tax obligations in order early. As for shoppers, it’s worth making your wish list early to ensure Santa can deliver your goods in time for Christmas morning.”

As shopping across multiple channels expands, consumer expectations evolve, and new indirect tax regulations are passed, a retailer’s ability to maintain international tax compliance becomes more complicated. To help retailers and tax teams navigate these pressures, Avalara has created a Holiday Readiness Guide, designed to help businesses get their omnichannel indirect tax strategies in place so they can take advantage of the holiday shopping season boom.

Methodology

Consumers:

The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 1,001 respondents aged 16+ in the UK between November 10, 2021 and November 12, 2021. The survey was conducted from a nationally representative sample of UK adults. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR) principles.

Decision makers:

The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 500 decision makers within retailers/businesses that sell goods aged 18+ in the UK between November 12, 2021 and November 18,2021. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.