Hit television shows such like Peaky Blinders, starring Cork’s Cillian Murphy, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag have been heavily influencing what people are buying.
John Lewis have revealed the biggest shopping trends of the past year in its annual retail report that also identifies which items are past their sell-by date. Mantel clocks and drones are among the things not selling anymore.
The return of BBC’s period crime drama sent up sales of Tommy Shelby’s signature flat caps up by a quarter as people tried to look like Cillian Murphy while Fleabag sent sales of black jumpsuits up 66%.
Fans of the 1980s Netflix hit Stranger Things tried to dress retro like its characters, with sales of slim fit Levi’s up 8%.
Television also inspired people to buy storage containers which went up 47%. This was due to the show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo where Marie encourages people to bin clothes that don’t “spark joy” and to box up the ones that do.
Greater concern for the environment and attention to sustainability was also a noted trend with single use plastic now very much a thing of the past and reusable products taking their place.
“The ongoing political uncertainty dominated this year’s news agenda. However, this was not the only big news of the year,” John Lewis states in its report.
“Climate change activism and record-breaking temperatures brought environmentalism onto the mainstream agenda and the nation declared war on single-use plastic, with many making some small but significant changes in their lifestyles and routines.”
Single use plastic is no longer popular while travel mugs and reusable water bottles are now in frequent use. Shoppers are also experimenting with collapsible coffee cups, reusable beeswax sandwich wrappers and travel cutlery. Sales of carry-around knives and forks, to use instead of plastic versions, are up 176%.
The ban of plastic straws and drink stirrers next year has pushed sales of reusable versions up more than 1500%.
Technology has seen the end of some lines. Landline phones have nearly halved in five years while camcorders are a “non-existent” market. Sales of mantel clocks are in freefall, replaced by smart phones and voice controlled speakers.
The store has also stopped selling drones after sales plummeted in the wake of the drone attack that disrupted Gatwick Airport last Christmas.
Sporting events also had an influence. The Women’s World Cup brought an increase in purchases of sports headbands and goal posts.
The lead up to Glastonbury saw reusable water bottles increase in sales by 15%.
Another trend observed by John Lewis over the past year has been a greater number of shoppers opting to shop online, rather than in-store.
Visits to the retail company’s website on mobiles grew by 54 per cent to the previous year, while 57 per cent of purchases made online were delivered using the “click and click” option for a quick pick-up.
