Christmas time, mistletoe online?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.news.royalmailgroup.com/news ... ce_network

- UK set to spend more festive time surfing the web
- 750,000 people plan to sell unwanted Christmas gifts online

If you thought Christmas Day was all about watching TV and gaining weight then think again - the average UK family has a new festive pastime. New research from Post Office® Broadband has confirmed that the internet is now an established part of traditional UK family Christmas - alongside TV repeats, charades and crackers.

A massive 62 per cent of UK internet users are planning to use the web tomorrow (December 25), and the average time spent online is expected to hit 1hr 24mins per person, a 25 per cent increase on last year*.

The research reveals that people are using the web for all manner of activities over the festive period - including watching TV (5 per cent), banking (19 per cent) and social networking (26 per cent) and over one in ten (11 per cent) of people will be using the net to plan their attack on the January sales.

Over three-quarters-of-a-million people even admit that they plan to spend time on Christmas Day selling unwanted presents on online auction sites such as eBay.

Most popular online Christmas Day activities:

1. Emailing (79 per cent)
2. General browsing (44 per cent)
3. Catching up with the news (34 per cent)
4. Social networking (26 per cent)
5. Browsing auction sites (22 per cent)
6. Instant messaging (21 per cent)
7. Online banking (19 per cent)
8. Shopping (11 per cent)
9. Looking up entertainment information e.g. cinema times (8 per cent)
10. Keeping up to date with sport/working/researching and booking holidays (7 per cent)

These figures come at the end of a year in which OFCOM** reported broadband take up as having risen from 52 per cent of households in 2007 to 58 per cent in 2008.

Stewart Fox-Mills, from Post Office® Broadband, said: "We’ve seen a real explosion in the adoption of broadband in recent years with close to two-thirds of households now having access.

"And as people realise the festive benefits of a speedy internet connection - from sharing festive greetings with far-off friends and family to checking how long you should cook your turkey for - it has become the norm to rely on the web as a vital tool to keep families connected during the holiday season.

"These figures show that - along with the old familiars of turkey, TV and all the trimmings - the internet is here to stay as it establishes itself as a crucial part of the 21st century UK family Christmas."

But the net also has practical festive uses - one in twenty web users are likely to turn to the internet for advice on how to prepare Christmas dinner.

People in London are set to be the UK’s most enthusiastic Christmas Day surfers, with 74 per cent planning to log on, compared to only 57 per cent in Scotland and a national average of 62 per cent.

People planning to go online on Christmas day, by region:

1. London (74 per cent)
2. Wales (68 per cent)
3. Midlands (65 per cent)
4. = South West (64 per cent)
= East of England (64 per cent)
= North East (64 per cent)
7. North West (63 per cent)
8. Northern Ireland (62 per cent)
9. South East (59 per cent)
10. Scotland (57 per cent)

To find out more about Post Office® Broadband and the Post Office®’s other telecoms services, which include HomePhone, directory enquiries and mobile phone top ups, call 0800 092 0500, visit http://www.postoffice.co.uk or ask in any of the 12,000 branches nationwide.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

3 Monkeys Communications
Gemma Shaw/Helen Prowse
Christine@3-monkeys.co.uk
Helen@3-monkeys.co.uk
Gemmashaw@3-monkeys.co.uk
Post Office Ltd
Hayley Fowell
hayley.fowell@postoffice.co.uk

Notes to Editors

2008 figures were prepared by Prepared by for Tpoll Market Intelligence Limited - 15 December 2008 among a sample of 1,768 UK adults. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

2007 survey results are available on request.

*2007 figure is 1hr 3mins average browsing time

**Source - OFCOM Communication Nation: UK consumers paying less but getting more. 14.08.2008. See http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/08/nr_20080814 for more information.

The Post Office® offers a range of great value telephony products and services:

Post Office Broadband and HomePhone
The new Post Office® Broadband service was launched in October 2007 and offers customers a cash prepayment option, fast connection speeds, no rural surcharges and a range of great value packages, including bundles with the Post Office®’s telephone service - HomePhone.

Post Office® 118855
Its directory enquiries service - 118855 - offers one of the most competitive prices on the market with all calls charged at a flat rate of 40p (no per minute charges). Customers can get two searches per call and free text back to mobiles.

Phonecards and E Top-ups
Post Office® branches offer a range of great value domestic and international phonecards and a convenient E Top-up service for mobile phones.




http://www.postoffice.co.uk