Consumers plan to do more of their Christmas shopping online this year in an effort to save money, according to a new survey by Deloitte.

It shows that 71 per cent of US citizens intend to spend at least some of their Christmas budgets on the internet this year, while more than one in five people plan to buy all their holiday goods online.

This makes the internet the most popular medium for Christmas shopping after department stores, Deloitte found.

When giving their reasons for shopping online instead of in stores, 36 per cent of consumers said they would do so to save money on gas.

A savvy 52 per cent said they will be taking advantage of free shipping offers from online retailers as they look to limit the impact of the holiday season on their wallets.

Indeed, many Americans are struggling with high levels of debt and will be looking to save as much money as they can this Christmas, especially as the economy heads into a recession.

The latest government figures show that consumer spending fell by 0.3 per cent in September.

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