The festive season accounts for more than a quarter of annual retail turnover, indicating just how important the holiday shopping period is for retailers' full-year performance.
Online sales are expected to nearly double to about£9 billion this year, compared with last year's£5 billion.
The positive holiday outlook amongst UK retailers follows a slow performance in recent months. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), clothing and footwear sales were hit particularly hard due to unseasonably mild weather, and homewares and furniture sales slowed in September compared to the summer months.
American Express Strategic Relationship Group head Roger Pelliciotti said: 'Early winter sales are seen as a way to drive business if retailers anticipate slow holiday sales.
'The fact that 70 per cent of UK retailers reported plans to start their winter sales immediately after Christmas is indicative of their underlying optimism as the holiday season draws closer.'
The survey also found that 62 per cent of retailers are confident they will perform better over the next year compared with last year.
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