Men are officially the best Christmas shoppers, proven in a recent study of 2000 which pitted the sexes against one another to discover who has the best approach when it comes to bagging the goods.

Men emerged as the winners with 30 percent regularly getting all of their Christmas shopping completed in one swoop.

Guys were found to get their shopping done in less time and act more decisively overall.

The research, which was commissioned by retail and leisure destination Bluewater in Europe, also found guys were happier to ask for advice from a shop assistant rather than go back and forth between shops.

“Men and women clearly have differing approaches when it comes to Christmas shopping,” Bluewater’s General Manager, Robert Goodman, commented.

“The results show men are quicker overall and perhaps better at being decisive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are better shoppers in terms of finding the right present for the right person.

“Women prefer to make more of the experience and seem to go to greater lengths to put in the thought, time and effort that ensures their gift will be well received, where guys perhaps see shopping as a task to be done with as much efficiently as possible.”

It’s not only a battle of the sexes, as it seems even age comes into play in shopping efficiency – 18- to 24-year-olds are the most effective shoppers, with 32 percent doing all their Christmas shopping in one go, whilst just one in 10 45- to 54-year-olds have this approach.

It also seems as a whole that we get stingier with age. The younger generations tend to splash out – especially where their mother is concerned, while 45-54 year olds spend as much as R300 to R400 less.

Women will buy more presents on average – purchasing 23 – compared to men who cover their list with only 18 gifts.

Over two thirds of women admitted they often go back and forth between the shops when deciding on one present in particular, while men were almost 30 percent less likely to put in this level of dedication.

It seems men’s decisiveness pays off – guys are quicker at finding the right present, taking 44 minutes per present on average while women take at least 50 minutes per gift.

Men get their shopping done 20 percent quicker, taking just over nine hours overall to tick off their entire gift list, while the average woman takes over eleven-and-a-half hours at least.

Men are also happier to ask a shopping assistant for help or advice when searching for those crucial Christmas presents.

They are also far more likely to avoid browsing the shelves with just a third claiming they enjoy doing this compared to nearly two thirds of women.

In fact, a third of confident chaps are convinced they are a far more efficient shopper than their partner.

The guys are also more confident in their purchases after making them. Just a quarter of men have bought a present and later decided it wasn’t suitable for the person and changed it, while over 40 percent of women have regretted a purchase.

Women will visit at least eight shops during the average shopping trip and are more likely to indulge in a coffee break, while men get the job done by visiting six.