John Lewis lifts lid on Britain’s shopping habits

Department store group John Lewis has mined a year’s worth of its shopping data to reveal the tastes of the nation.

The John Lewis Retail Report is created every year and is based on real data, which comes from thousands of customer transactions which take place every day on its website and in its shops. The Report explores why and what its customers bought, and how they bought it, in the last 12 months.

John Lewis managing director Andy Street said: “It seems fitting that in our 150th year as a retailer we are reflecting on the nation’s shopping habits. Since our first shop opened in 1864, John Lewis has a barometer for changing trends and tastes. We hope that in years to come people will turn to our report for a nostalgic glimpse of the trends that shaped the nation’s shopping habits.”

Highlights from the Report reveal that in 2014, the public’s obsession with culinary achievement continued. Inspired by the likes of BBC TV series MasterChef, Britain’s aspiring chefs took on the challenges of making pasta and filleting fish. Sales of ravioli kits shot up by 315%, fishbone tweezers by 37% and fish filleting knives by 16%.

The Report maps key events from the past year to illustrate how they influenced sales. For example, surprise TV hit ‘Gogglebox’ prompted sales of laptrays to rise by 18% in February, while Prince George’s appearances on the Royal Tour Down Under prompted sales of baby sailor suits to rise by 18% in April, and the playground craze for Loom Bands peaked in May.

The survey also shows that the rise of mobile shopping has resulted in more people making purchases in the early hours, with online sales between the hours of midnight and 6am up 31% over the past year. On average, over 50% of web traffic to johnlewis.com now comes from smartphones and tablets. While mobile has become increasingly important, the ability to mix and match purchase channels and delivery options is now the norm. However, around 70% of all sales still take place in shops.