"Happy Christmas Ma/Mum/Mom." This is the first call made on Christmas Day by most Irish people according to a survey by Tesco Mobile which found that mothers are the first person people will contact on Christmas Day with 33% of the vote.
The next highest initial receivers of goodwill messages on Christmas Day are the caller's best friend with 21% of those surveyed saying so.
Despite just over half (57%) of people saying that they will spend less time on their phones this Christmas, Tesco Mobile say smartphones still play an important role in helping people connect with loved ones over Christmas. Phone calls and texts remain the most popular methods for contacting friends and family with 64% saying they will phone friends and family on Christmas day and 60% planning on sending texts.
According to Tesco Mobile, there is a 63% increase in the number of texts sent to international destinations on Christmas day and on New Year’s Eve with the most popular destinations for international calls and texts including; Poland, The UK, Romania, India, Lithuania, USA & Canada, Brazil, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Australia and Bangladesh, as both those who have emigrated from Ireland and those who have immigrated to Ireland get in touch with their loved ones.
Despite the vast amount of technological means to wish friends and family well over the festive period, Christmas cards are still immensely popular with 62% of those surveyed saying they still send print cards to people overseas. Elsewhere, 20% of people admitted to Skyping or Facetiming a family member over Christmas dinner.
Commenting about the results, Karen Halpin, Marketing Manager at Tesco Mobile said “This Christmas Tesco Mobile has the perfect gift to help you stay connected with loved ones over the festive season and into 2016. The festive cheer has spread right across our range with savings of up to €70 on Tesco Mobile pre and Bill pay plans including our highly competitive €25 a month SIM only plan which gives consumers Unlimited calls, texts and a whopping 15GB data.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Niall Swan
Photo Copyright: sabphoto / 123RF Stock Photo
