John Lewis launched its first How We Shop, Live and Look report, which offers a fascinating insight into what and why we bought and how we bought it, over the past twelve months. It is the most comprehensive review of data that the retailer has ever undertaken and reveals the tastes of a nation in our homes, our wardrobes and our handbags.
How we shop
In analysing online shopping behaviour, the report discloses that we're making best use of the multitude of shopping channels now available to us by weaving them into our routines. In a typical shopping day, visits to johnlewis.com via tablets peak steeply at 9pm and during ad breaks, when people use tablets while watching TV. Traffic from smartphones then reaches its peak until 9am, as those who aren't asleep shop from their beds. When people arrive at work, desktop becomes our shopping channel of choice, until roughly 4pm.
By comparing information about different online buys, upholstery is revealed to have the highest number of views before purchase and furniture has the longest buying journey of any product, taking up to nineteen days. Meanwhile, children's items tend to have the fewest number of views before purchase, suggesting, equipped with the information they need, people will gravitate towards the most practical choice for their particular purchase.
The spontaneous nature of shopping on mobiles and tablets has also meant that John Lewis's mobile site sees a greater proportion of its sales driven by fashion products than johnlewis.com as a whole does, as people look to get their instant fashion fixes, wherever they may be.
How we live
When it came to furnishing our homes, the current national obsession with the size of our TV screens is supported by John Lewis data. The report notes that sales of 60”- 69” TVs increased by 145 per cent, compared with a decline of 34 per cent for screens of 23” - 31”. 46” plus screens are now the fastest growing area within TVs at John Lewis. Improvements in picture quality and a desire to replicate a cinematic experience are driving forces here.
In our kitchens too, our love of gadgetry shows no sign of abating. Sales of sous vide equipment increased by 44 per cent year on year and KitchenAids were up 66 per cent. This appetite for serious culinary equipment was no doubt influenced by a plethora of TV cookery shows and a desire to not just view but replicate the ambitious creations seen on our screens.
Space remained at a premium, with the average British home now measuring just 925 square feet, compared with an average of 1,647 square feet in the 1920s1. The UK's shrinking living space is clearly reflected in the report, which notes that we downsized furniture in 2013 and moved to multi-functional pieces; petite sofas have sold well compared with 2012. Meanwhile, garden spheres, which provide an additional 'room' outside the house, have also proved popular.
