The tradition of buying a Christmas present from Sliema or Valletta is still alive and kicking, a survey of shopping trends shows.

With more than half of respondents preferring to buy gifts from shops on the high street or malls, the two localities retained the top spot this Christmas.

But the survey also shows that, in the popular psyche, the Point at Tigne has transformed into a distinct shopping location within Sliema, surpassing other popular localities like Birkirkara, Ħamrun and Fgura.

The survey by EMCS, a consulting company, and Deloitte, an audit firm, found that 15 per cent of respondents preferred to buy Christmas gifts from Sliema.

A further four per cent distinctly mentioned the Point, a large shopping mall and outdoor square forming part of the Midi Development.

The survey found Valletta to be the preferred location for 15 per cent of respondents.

The survey polled 1,000 randomly selected adults and was carried out last month just before the start of the Christmas shopping season.

It asked respondents about their shopping tendencies and attitudes.

A third of respondents said they preferred to buy gifts from shops on the high street,while 20 per cent preferred shopping malls.

Online shopping was the preferred method for 13 per cent of respondents and another five per cent preferred a mix of shops and the internet.

Clothes topped the list of likely purchases during the Christmas period, being the preferred choice of 38 per cent of respondents.

Accessories came in second, being the preferred choice of 13 per cent, while toys placed a close third at 11 per cent. The survey found that sports and electronics outlets were likely to be the most adversely affected segment, since more than two-thirds of those who intended to buy sports items and gadgets were likely to do so online.

From those who intended to buy toys, 54 per cent said they would do so from shops.

Contrary to popular belief, 67 per cent of those thinking in terms of books said they planned to buy them from shops rather than online.

Price was mentioned by 54 per cent of respondents as the main factor why they turned to online shopping for Christmas gifts.

As for individual budgets, almost half of respondents said their Christmas period spending would remain the same as last year, and 18 per cent indicated it would be less.

However, 12 per cent said they planned to spend more than they did last Christmas.

Methodology

The Christmas shopping survey polled 1,000 randomly selected respondents, who were interviewed by telephone. The margin of error is minus or plus three per cent. Data was adjusted using age and gender to be representative of the population.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com