Caroline Martin, a consultant who lives in north London, will travel to Boston next week ostensibly for work purposes, but she has already made plans to squeeze in a bit of shopping.

For herself, Ms Martin plans to upgrade her winter wardrobe: a coat from Marc Jacobs, and boots from Jimmy Choo; she also has designs on a Miu Miu Plisse leather bag. For Christmas, she will buy a Bose SoundDock for her husband, and for her sister - a gadget lover - an iPod Touch.