Survey discerns consumer Christmas shopping habits based on professions

Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - 09:44 by Sarah Collinson

A study has looked at the way in which UK consumers buy gifts and discovered that there are variables in the type of presents which will be given this year, depending on the job of the individual in question.

Viking Direct commissioned the survey and asked visitors to its site what types of presents they would be buying, before dividing the respondents up into specific types of buyer and looking at the types of workers who fell into these groups.

There are four types of consumers on the hunt for gifts this Christmas. First there are so-called Dodgers who opt for cash or vouchers over choosing a gift, then the Pinchers who bag bargains, followed by the Planners who have precise lists they use when shopping and Surprise Shoppers who think outside the box and delight the recipients of their gifts.

Viking Direct discovered that it is UK farmers who are most loathing of Christmas shopping, with most falling into the Dodgers category in this particular survey.

The Farmers Union of Wales has spoken out over the results, saying that the main reason for this conclusion being formed is that most farmers are unable to carry out safe shopping online, because rural broadband coverage is so minimal and connections outside of urban areas are sluggish.

Union president Gareth Vaughan, said that Christmas was always a time at which farmers have to work particularly hard and so negative associations and a lack of time for shopping, conspires to make it less than joyous for many agricultural workers.

The professions who get the chance to do the most safe shopping online or on the high street are travel agents and scientists, while teachers were found to be bargain hunters above all else. Those who work in marketing and sales are the most generous gift-givers, according to the survey.