Electronics retailers will be placing their bets on a big weekend over Easter, as data from Worldpay suggests card spending on laptops, smartphones, TVs and tablets could be worth as much as £142 million to the sector over the long weekend.
With dozens of high-street retailers slashing prices over the Easter bank holiday, Worldpay’s analysis of consumer spending habits suggests specialist electronics retailers will be the biggest beneficiaries. Excluding Easter Sunday, when many electronics retailers are closed for business, overall card takings for the Easter period could be up by as much as 43 per cent compared to the seasonal average.
This Saturday is set to be the busiest shopping day during the long-weekend with Worldpay’s data indicating that shoppers could spend as much as £42 million on electronics goods, up 30 per cent compared to average, and on a par with the last Saturday before Christmas, often referred to as Panic Saturday.
James Frost, UK CMO, Worldpay, says, ‘The traditional Easter spring clean is taking on a new meaning among today’s tech-centric consumers. Instead of breaking out the dustpan and brush our analysis suggests shoppers are using the four day break to give their technology a spruce up with a seasonal spending spree.’
Other sectors set to cash in on consumer bargain hunting this weekend include:
– Garden Centres – £20 million (+19 per cent)
– Furniture stores – £69 million (+27 per cent)
– Clothing stores – £88 million (+24 per cent)
– Department stores – £135 million (+14 per cent)
Frost continues, ‘With high-street spending in certain sectors rivalling Christmas this weekend, retailers of all sizes need to make sure they’re properly equipped to deal with the expected surge in customers. Big queues might look good outside a nightclub, but they’re an absolute killer in the retail space where customers want reliability, speed and convenience.
‘Stores need to prioritise putting more staff on the shop floor to offer advice, locate items and take payments, alleviating pressure from the tills as customers queue to purchase items and making the shopping experience painless even at the busiest of times.’
Further reading on Easter sales
