Consumers in the UK are likely to splash more cash in the run up to Christmas this year than they did in 2015, according a new study from Accenture.

85 per cent of respondents announced their intentions to maintain or increase their spending during the festive shopping season, spurred on by the convenience of safe shopping online.

Three quarters of those questioned also said that they would be on the lookout for bargains, with the ability to compare prices online making it easier for the best deals to be located.

57 per cent said that in spite of the fact that UK voters chose to drag the country out of the European Union during the referendum back in June, they have yet to make any major changes to their retail habits because of Brexit.

11 per cent said that they had been a little more careful with their cash in the past six months, showing that the level of economic uncertainty is not causing a problem for many people at the moment.

This could all change when Article 50 is eventually triggered, meaning that the positive implications of this report might only have an impact in the short term.

Sites offering shopping online have generally helped to empower consumers by giving them more choice and access to tools which help drive down prices. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday still to come, the likelihood that more money will be spent on Christmas 2016 seems high.

It will be interesting to see which delivery methods are most popular this year, because the rise of click and collect as an option has made home deliveries less essential. Retailers will also be hoping that the weather does not play havoc with their delivery infrastructures, as it has done in the past.