Three in 10 people have already started Christmas shopping, survey finds

Three in 10 adults who celebrate or shop for Christmas have already started buying items for the festive season, a survey indicates.

Gifts for others were the most common items that people said they had already bought, followed by wrapping paper and gift bags, Christmas cards, decorations, and long-life food or snacks.

Those who have started their seasonal spending have already spent £94 on average on gifts, the research, carried out for American Express, found.

This increases to £110 when taking into account everything they have bought for Christmas, such as food, drink, travel and decorations.

41% of shoppers said that deals and offers would influence their decisions to purchase gifts for family and friends, compared with 16% who said gift guides and 14% who said they were swayed into making purchases by Christmas adverts.

79% also feel it is important to support local businesses when shopping.

Andrei Ciripitca, Vice President at American Express, said: "The festive period is an important time for businesses and shoppers alike, and we continue to see many people spreading their Christmas shopping throughout the year."

Some 2,000 people across the UK were surveyed by Opinium for the research.