The UK’s leading discount voucher code website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has looked at buying trends in the run up to Christmas so far and found that Xbox 360s are outselling the pricier PlayStation 3s by 3:1, an indication that Sony will lose the Christmas Console war this year.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which has slowly been building up steam in recent weeks with news that it has partnered with Sky, Facebook and Twitter will win the Christmas Console war, according to UK retail expert Mark Pearson, founder of the country’s leading discount website.
More than 9 million people use MyVoucherCodes.co.uk every single month, expected to rise to 11 million for this month in the run up to Christmas as Brits look to make savings on festive gifts when figures are released.
Despite Sony’s PlayStation 3 rivalling the more affordable Xbox 360 throughout August and September, with purchases standing at 47%-53% and 45%-55% respectively in Microsoft’s favour, October and November has seen a huge surge by people buying the Xbox console in readiness for Christmas.
Xbox 360 market share vs PlayStation 3:
August –
Xbox 360: 53%
PS3: 47%
September –
Xbox 360: 55%
PS3: 45%
October –
Xbox 360: 62%
PS3: 38%
November –
Xbox 360: 74%
PS3: 26%
PlayStation 3s retail at £249.99, whilst at £149.99, the Arcade version of the Xbox 360 is a credit crunch friendly £100 cheaper, something retail expert Mark Pearson believes to be the difference this year. He had the following to say,
“A couple of months ago, little separated the two in terms of units being sold through our site, but November has seen a huge surge by Microsoft’s budget friendly console, backed by a stellar PR campaign.
“If sales stay at their current rate, the Xbox 360 will outsell Sony’s Blu-Ray-technology console by 3 units to 1, a marked defeat. Both companies want their console to be under the Christmas tree this year, but there can only be one winner.
“The PlayStation 3 is undoubtedly a fantastic console, but Brits are still extremely mindful of their bank balance due to the recession, and although they want Christmas 2009 to be memorable, are seemingly more than happy to choose the cheaper option. We have seen a marked increase of traffic throughout this month too with Christmas shopping in full swing, smashing our average of 9 million people using the site every month.
“We are expecting this weekend, the last in November, to be the busiest in terms of traffic and sales online as it’s the last payday for many before Christmas. We’re streamlining the site to cope with the obvious pressure that bargain hungry Christmas shoppers will put on it, and are looking forward to helping Brits save millions on Christmas purchases.”
The family friendly Nintendo Wii has also been selling well in the build up to Christmas. Sales are down 17% on last year for the groundbreaking motion-sensitive console as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 ramps up their marketing efforts, but it’s still beating Sony’s PS3 in terms of units sold.
In November, when looking at the sales of the Big 3 consoles, the Xbox 360 has been the clear leader, with more than 1 in 2 console sales, the Wii has been snapped up by 28% of console buyers, whilst the PlayStation 3 has been picking up the spare.
Kaynak : 