This year, the festive season is beginning early at Waitrose with a significant rise in Christmas-related activities.
- Searches for Christmas gifts and party foods have tripled compared to last year.
- Festive confectionery and dessert searches have doubled on Waitrose’s website.
- Seventy percent of Waitrose’s delivery slots have already been filled.
- Demand for Waitrose’s delivery service has increased by 6% compared to last year.
This year, Waitrose is witnessing an early onset of the festive spirit among its customers. The upmarket grocer has reported a threefold increase in searches for Christmas gifts and seasonal party foods on Waitrose.com. In addition, there has been a notable rise in searches for festive confectionery and desserts, doubling in comparison to the previous year.
The demand for Waitrose’s delivery services has surged, with 70% of delivery slots already filled. This marks a 6% rise in uptake compared to the same period last year. Additionally, the day of 23 December is proving particularly popular, as indicated by the fact that nine out of ten delivery slots have already been booked.
According to Maddy Wilson, Waitrose’s Own Brand Director, “We’re seeing a huge appetite for Christmas already with online slots filling up faster than ever before and customers stocking up early on our festive treats.” This uptick in early Christmas shopping coincides with efforts by retailers to enhance customer service over the holidays through expanded hiring.
Many retailers, including Sainsbury’s, M&S, Aldi, and Morrisons, have started significant recruitment drives to cope with the busy festive period. The strategy aims to efficiently handle the holiday surge, which is crucial for maintaining service standards during peak times.
The early surge in Christmas shopping at Waitrose exemplifies a wider trend of consumers embracing the festive season sooner than in previous years.
