A new report on festive spending behaviour in Ireland has found that the average shopper will shell-out €493 on Christmas presents this year.

The majority of shoppers (53%) begin buying gifts at least 2-3 months before Christmas and females start buying gifts earlier - according to Mediacon's survey of 1,000 adults across the country.

Women are significantly more organised than men when purchasing Christmas gifts; just 33% leave shopping until December compared to almost two thirds (61%) of men.

The average punter will spend €215 on food and drink over the holiday and just one in three consumers have a set budget planned for Christmas 2016.

Over a third of Christmas shopping in Ireland is now done online.

As Irish retailers have embraced 'Black Friday' as a day of major discounts - it has become a day that one fifth of Irish consumers identify as an important day on the shopping calendar. It's caught on more with younger shoppers and females.

20% of shoppers treated themselves (or someone else) on Black Friday last year - 60% said that these pre-Christmas sales made it easier to afford gifts that they had their eyes on.

Just 39% of those who bought something during a Black Friday promotion felt they would have made those purchases anyway without the discounts.

Speaking about the survey, Ian McGrath, Managing Director of MediaCom Ireland, commented:

"Retailers and brands have quickly become sophisticated in how they employ their Black Friday game plans, with many extending their offers beyond the day itself to maximise volume.

"It is likely to be a critical part of this year’s pre-Christmas plans for Irish retailers as sterling softens and more sales shift online from the high-street."