Amazon remains the top destination for UK consumers who are looking online for inspiration for Christmas gifts and other festive purchases, according to new research.

The online retail giant clocked up a 52% website-of-choice rating leaving search engine Google some way behind on 31%, claims commerce experience platform Nostco.

That leaves  21% looking to eBay for inspiration, 17% to Instagram and 15% to TikTok, while 19% will go directly to the websites of their favourite brands and retailers.

Overall, the data suggests that only 13% of Britons will splash out more money this Christmas than last, with 50% aiming to spend about the same. Some 44% say the rising cost of living will impact their festive shopping budgets, with 22% planning to buy more second-hand gifts than last year.

Of those trying to save money, nearly 20% will look for low-cost purchases on Temu, AliExpress and other Chinese marketplaces.
 
Other findings from the survey of 1,000 UK consumers showed 22% aim to make seasonal online purchases across borders and 11% say sustainability/environmental concerns will influence their shopping this year.

Back to the cost front, of the 77% of UK consumers who plan to try and save on their seasonal shopping this year, 25% will try to compare prices on at least three online stores; 21% will aim to shop online at stores with lower shipping charges or those that allow collect-from-store for free; 16% will buy pre-owned items if they can find good quality at low prices; and 14% admit that they will try to make savings by waiting to buy gifts in the post-Christmas sales.

Meanwhile, paying for returns is a big bugbear, with 34% of UK consumers revealing they will avoid buying gifts online from stores that don’t offer free returns or allow goods to be returned to a physical store for free.