A new survey from Tryzens has found that 85 per cent of consumers across the country are intending to snap up at least half of the items they buy for people this Christmas online.

This demonstrates the growing power of the web when it comes to helping people pick up presents, even at the last minute, as well as the influence it holds over which particular products gain popularity.

Fifty six per cent of respondents said that they will be making online purchases via a portable device, whether a mobile handset or a tablet. Smartphones are especially relevant because they allow for people to carry out safe shopping online when they are on the move, or sitting on the sofa watching the latest box set.

Almost a quarter of consumers said that they kick started their festive shopping back in October, while a third waited until November to get the ball rolling. Perhaps most surprising of all is the fact that five per cent said that they began their preparations in January this year, almost immediately after the previous festive break had concluded.

Conversely, a healthy slice of the population are happy to leave their gift buying until there are one or two weeks or even days to go until December 25th. So checking to see the deadlines for final pre-Christmas deliveries set by various major retailers is important for anyone intending to leave it until the last minute.

The availability of click and collect means that many will choose to reserve items online and pick them up in-store if they are pushed for time but still want to guarantee that a product will be available when they visit their nearest high street outlet or out of town retail park.