Christmas bargains predicted for consumers this year

Friday, November 21, 2014 - 09:53 by Graham Miller

A combination of factors are likely to mean that consumers who carry out safe shopping online in the run up to Christmas 2014 are going to have access to some very low prices on popular products, according to analysts at Springboard.

One of the most significant reasons for the anticipated boom in bargains is that both September and October were unusually warm, meaning that consumers did not splash out on winter product lines as they might have done if the colder conditions had arrived earlier. This means that various retailers have stock rooms filled to bursting with items that they need to shift, which makes the initiation of a sales period all the more appealing.

While it seems likely that retailers will be lowering prices before Christmas, as they have done in recent years thanks to the rise of safe shopping online, analysts believe that they will hold out as long as possible, which is something that consumers should keep in mind.

Experts are describing it as a little like a game of chicken, with retailers on one side and shoppers on the other. It is now merely a case of seeing who is going to blink first, either by reducing prices or buying products before the sales are launched.

One of the benefits of using the internet to shop for items is that it gives buyers the widest possible range of prices, allowing for comparisons at a number of major outlets. This means that, in many cases, it is not necessary to wait for a sale to start because the low costs will already be accessible online.

For retailers, the position is a little trickier, as starting sales earlier means that the normally lucrative Christmas shopping season loses some of its punch.