Shoppers increasingly attracted to items they see on screen – and buying 24 hours a day via the internet – says John Lewis
British consumers are shopping round the clock on the internet and what they buy is increasingly influenced by news and entertainment events they see on screen – from the birth of a new royal baby to The Great British Bake Off and blockbuster movies.
The swaddle in which Prince George made his public debut sold out almost immediately, sales of food mixers jumped 62% during the BBC baking show and the horsemeat scandal put up sales of a simple plastic mincer by 48% on the year, according to John Lewis.
A new report from middle England's favourite retailer, called How We Shop, Live and Look, says: "The news agenda, the royal family, celebrities, TV shows and major film premieres all have a big impact" on what we buy. This year, it says, online searches for trainers spiked during Andy Murray's triumphant run at Wimbledon, while The Great Gatsby film premiere ushered in dapper styles for men and flapper looks for women – sales of satin gloves more than doubled from a year earlier, handkerchiefs jumped 27% and waistcoat sales soared. Searches for sewing machines tripled when The Great British Sewing Bee was on TV. The next predicted trend is 60s glamour, with the release of Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman.
The report also shows that shoppers are using modern smartphones and tablets to buy night and day – but at the same time increasingly crave nostalgia products such as board games and beard oil.
The department store chain echoes other industry reports charting the rise of cyber shopping and shows its shoppers are most likely to log on from phones overnight, they use desktops during the working day and settle down with their tablets in the evening – shopping from the sofa during TV advert breaks.
"People are shopping 24 hours a day and moving seemlessly from mobile to tablet to desktop throughout the day," said Paula Nickolds, buying and brand director for John Lewis. She said the trend put pressure on retailers in a world where shoppers want items fast and fashions change faster.
"What has become increasingly important is buy now, wear now. Consumers don't want to conform to retailers' traditional half-year view of the world," she added.
Crunching its sales data for the last year, the company says shoppers' most researched and slowest purchase is soft furnishings, while products for children – from school shirts to toys – are the fastest buys. The most popular item bought on mobile devices is a simple white Egyptian cotton towel, something the store puts down to it being easy to choose and buy on the go.
British brands were in demand, with Ted Baker topping online searches, followed by the term "iPad" and then Cath Kidston, the designer behind retro floral and polka dot products
The report revealed regional seasonal favourites, with people in the West Midlands most partial to Christmas panettone and shoppers in the south-east bought 2.3 tonnes of chocolate coins – 40% of the total.
An analysis of underwear purchases show white lace and leopard print are most common in the north-east, the women of the north-west are most likely to buy thongs and Wonderbras, while the Welsh are most likely to opt for scarlet lingerie.
John Lewis has sought to shake off its middle England reputation, arguing its sales data are a reasonable reflection of the British shopping public. The store says it has more customers aged under 34, at 39%, than over 55, at 28% and nearly half of its shoppers have a household income under £30,000.
With household budgets under pressure from stagnant wages and rising living costs, entertaining at home continued. Camembert bakers more than doubled in sales, carafes flew off the shelves and sales of ice tongs soared more than 200%.
There appeared to be a trend over the last year for buying longer lasting, classic products. In furniture, this durability trend saw a surge in demand for items such as the Herman Miller office chair and Eames lounger.
The big fashion trend for men was the "renaissance of the gent", with bow tie sales up 15%, cravats by 10% and brogues by 26%. A men's dress cane and a white tuxedo jacket sold out in eight weeks, while the classic Acqua di Parma Colonia was the best-selling men's fragrance.
"It is rejection of the casualisation of work wear. It's Shoreditch Man. It's the same guy who is into male grooming and has a well groomed beard," said Nickolds.
The retailer has recently reintroduced beard oil as it joins others in tapping into the facial hair craze, a fashion helped by Hollywood stars such as Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt – and possibly even Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman.
The report says our living rooms are also changing. It charts the decline of the three-piece suite and shows bigger is now definitely regarded as better for TVs – the chain's third best-selling model is a 55-inch Samsung. Looking ahead to Christmas, the trend for fast-changing technology alongside traditional tastes is predicted to continue.
"There is a dichotomy of leading edge technology with Christmas trees that are very high tech and the desire for traditional trimmings like gingerbread and candy canes," said Nickolds. She also predicted a "huge" Christmas for board games, already up 17% on last year over this spring and summer.
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