Poll of the week: Are you an early Christmas shopper?

When do you intend to buy presents this year?

It seems that the people who read NextPit are aware of the news about the risk of product shortages and, in general, most of them plan to buy Christmas presents until November, especially for the readers of the international site, in which 85% of the participants answered that they intend to complete this year's Christmas list in October.

Gift buying in 2020

Interestingly, while 40% of the community in Brazil says they will not be buying gifts in 2020, only 30% responded that they should do the same this year. Showing greater optimism in 2021 with the reduction in the number of cases and deaths as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased vaccination rates and the reopening of trade in the country.

The percentage of respondents who did not give gifts in 2020 and do not intend to do so in 2021 was virtually stable in NextPit's international and German domains, while among French readers there was an increase from 12% who did not gift in 2020 to 20% who do not intend to gift in 2021.

Only people in Brazil seem more willing this year to risk leaving shopping until the last minute in 2021, with 20% of responses for the 2nd half of December, compared to 10% in 2020. Across all other domains in which NextPit is published, the percentage for 2021 is lower than last year.

Still optimistic about electronics availability

In terms of the number of readers who intend to reduce the number of electronic gifts this year we have some interesting results.

While the absolute majority of readers on the English, German and French sites do not appear willing to change their pattern of buying electronic gifts, Brazilians are more reticent about buying gadgets for 2021, with 62% of respondents saying they should reduce the number of electronics purchased in 2021. Brazilians again bucked the trend identified in the other communities.

The percentage for the same response is 21% among Germans, 26% among the French, and 40% in English-speaking countries - mainly the United States and India - suggesting that overall, most readers still expect to find electronics on the shelves.

Are reports of product shortages exaggerated? Or could the announced shortage of electronics serve to curb rampant consumerism this time of year - as pointed out by readers Radler61 and Konsau. Feel free to comment on the results as well!

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Original text

- written by Benjamin Lucks

A few days ago, I wrote a commentary about supply shortages in the consumer electronics industry. I advised you to buy Christmas gifts that concern everything about electronics earlier, including used or renewed devices, or source for local suppliers. However, are reports of stuck containers, ports with plenty of backlogs, and similar situations changing your buying behavior?

Reports of delivery issues in the consumer electronics industry have been piling up in recent weeks. Apple allegedly can't keep up with the production of their new iPhones and Samsung revealed to us upon request that they have had to prepare in advance for the Christmas season with their partners. In my opinion, you should therefore about your Christmas gift buying plan this year.

Even though gifts shouldn't be the main focus at Christmas (!), they are for many people. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many orders in November and December, and shopping malls at city centers certainly wouldn't be so packed. So, in following up on my earlier article, I think it would be exciting to hear from you as to when will you buy your presents this year!

When did you buy your gifts last year?

Let's look back at the year 2020! At least over here in Germany where I stay, the shopping malls in the city center were empty and I personally bought most of my gifts from late November to early December. After all, I still had to send all of the gifts after wrapping them to my family since I didn't go home. When did you buy the most gifts?

Since I can well imagine that many people buy their gifts "just before" or close to Christmas itself, I have divided December up once again. Unlike last year, I now want to find out when do you plan to make your Christmas gift purchases in 2021.

When do you plan to buy your gifts this year?

I would now like to propose the same time scale again for the year 2021! Of course, you should indicate when you plan to buy the gifts. Whether this comes true or not, it is entirely up to you. But: When do you plan to buy gifts this year?

On Wednesday, I advised you to also look for alternatives when it comes to smartphones, tablets, and other consumer electronics. For one, to lighten the load on supply chains, you can look to refurbished or used products from a reputable seller or vendor instead of settling for a new purchase. Streaming services like Netflix or Waipu.tv are also great alternatives! Hence one last question:

That's about it! I'm curious to see if the possible delay in delivery would change your buying behavior. Feel free to keep on sharing with me in the comments section how you plan your Christmas shopping. This is because I've already heard plenty of exciting opinions under my article from Wednesday. Reader Pure★Aqua ツ, for instance, has already bought all her gifts. Unbelievable, isn't it?