October 2nd 2023.
This year, John Lewis has released its annual report on the nation's shopping habits, and the results are, quite frankly, fascinating. It seems that the HBO series Succession had a chokehold on our spending this year, as tailoring saw a sales increase of 70%, and half-zip jumpers have outsold crew-neck pullovers by 62% since the start of the season.
The two biggest blockbuster films of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer, combined to create the 'Barbenheimer Effect'. This resulted in a 70% increase in sales of pink handbags, and searches for pink Arizona Birkenstocks were up 67%. Cillian Murphy's role in Peaky Blinders was also responsible for another hat craze: the fedora, which outsold flat caps by 21% during July.
Amazon Prime's Daisy Jones & The Six had us longing for a 70s look. Within days of launching in March, searches for flared jeans increased by 43%, denim shorts by 80%, and maxi skirts by 62%.
John Lewis's report also found that Saturday shopping is back in style, as are 90s fragrances, 'boyfriend boxers', the Stanley Cup, and outdoor sofas. Meanwhile, the nation is falling out of love with DVD players and fidget spinners, and we're into air fryers and pizza ovens.
Customers returned to the shops during the last year, particularly on Saturdays for a family day out. Footfall increased by 11%, while during lockdown 81% of Great British sales came from the internet, but this has now fallen back down to 57%. Hospitality and catering sales skyrocketed by 20%, and we sipped on 3.09 million cups of coffee and 1.79 million pots of tea.
In terms of home appliances, microwave cooking products saw an increase of 41%, and customers bought 4-tog duvets for summer and 9-tog for autumn, creating a powerful 13-tog warmth. Supersized interiors were also a hit, with sales of sofas with five or more seats up by 36%, supersized statement rugs increasing by 61%, and super-king mattresses by 32%.
Kathleen Mitchell, John Lewis's commercial director, commented: ‘Over the last 10 years, our ‘How we shop, live and look report’ has shown us how the nation's shopping habits have evolved, with customers forming new shopping habits and traditions. We are excited for what is to come as customers seek out a more contemporary look and a bit more excitement within the way they shop, live and look with us.’
It's clear from John Lewis's report that the nation's shopping habits have been heavily influenced by films, TV shows, and the need for comfort and convenience. Whether it's the 'Barbenheimer Effect', the 'duvet sandwich', or the return of Saturday shopping, there's no denying that the last year has seen some major changes in the way we shop, live, and look.
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