Selfie sticks out, pink flamingos in: How British buying habits changed in 2016

Selfie sticks are out, pink flamingos are in

Monday 24 October 2016 12:55 BST

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The fascinating shopping habits of Middle Britain have been revealed in John Lewis' annual report - showing that selfie sticks are out, and TV dinner trays are in.

The 'How We Shop, Live And Look’ gives us a glimpse into the nation's ever-changing shopping habits, showing which items are waning in popularity, and which ones are flying off the shelves.

In a year that’s been scorned by political, cultural and economic upheaval you’d expect us to be pinching the pennies - but instead the report reveals a more confident customer is emerging, albeit one that doesn’t like big hats.

The report highlights six products that Brits just aren’t feeling anymore - with broad-brimmed hats traded in for fascinators, and tablecloths swapped for TV dinner trays. Laptops with disc drives are also falling down the sales charts.

The way to a partner’s heart may no longer be through their stomach (Getty Images)

Interestingly, Valentine’s Day chocolates are officially off the radar too with sales dropping in favour of lacy lingerie, while searches for selfie sticks fell by 50 per cent compared to last year - phew.

Alarm clock sales are down nine per cent - people rely on their smartphones, usually - but travel alarm clocks saw a 200 per cent increase suggesting that we don’t trust our phones enough to wake us up when abroad.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

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1/12The changing face of the British shopping basket

The changing face of the British shopping basket

The nation's shopping basket

The 'shopping basket' of items making up the suite of consumer price inflation indices are reviewed every year. Some items are taken out of the basket, some are brought in, to reflect changes in the market and to make sure the indices are up to date and representative of consumer spending patterns. Over 700 goods and services go in the basket to try and accurately reflect household spending. The prices of each item are then tracked over time to measure inflation, or the rate at which prices are rising or falling. Here is how it has changed since 1947.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

1947: Milk, Tea and bread

Many items have been in the basket for a very long time: milk, bread and tea have been there since 1947.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

1956: The tin kettle

If tea has been in our baskets since 1947, the tin kettle dropped out of the list in 1956. It was replaced by the electric kettle in 1987.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

1962: The mangle

The mangle, used to press or flatten sheets, tablecloths, kitchen towels, or clothing and other laundry, disappeared from the nation's shopping basket in 1962.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

1987: The microwave

The microwave made its appearance on the list in 1987. It was added with the vacuum cleaner, the washing machine, the hairdryer and the electric kettle among others.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

1987: Radiosets

Radiosets disappeared from the nation's shopping basket in 1987.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

2001: Credit card fees

Credit card fees appeared on the list in 2011.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

2007: The VHS video recorder

The VHS video recorder disappeared in 2007, coincidentally the Blu-Ray player was added to the list in 2010.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

2014: DVD recorder

The DVD recorder was removed in 2014 due to recording alternatives.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

2014: Video-streaming service subscription

Kevin Spacey appears in a scene from Netflix series “House of Cards.” A video-streaming service subscription was included in 2014’s virtual shopping basket.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

2015: Electronic cigarette refills/liquid

Electronic cigarette refills were introduced due to the increase in expenditure as more people are using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid.

The changing face of the British shopping basket

2016: Coffee-pods

People are making coffee at home rather than buying it out, thanks to the popularity of coffee pods, which made the list for the first time this year.

So what are we buying these days? Well, the classic white trainer tops the fashion stakes as the shoe that defined 2016 with sales of white Converse leading the footwear pack at John Lewis.

Statement filter water bottles, wireless headphones, LED light bulbs and the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer also saw a substantial boost in popularity.

Unsurprisingly, avocados were a hit too with the super ingredient showing an increase in online searches of 85 per cent.

You might also be surprised to hear that people don’t just want them on their plates - Brits are looking for green goodness in our beauty products too.

Customers now want avocado in ther beauty regimes as well as on their plates

Another bizarre trend saw a mass migration of pink flamingos into customers' homes and wardrobes, with searches on the John Lewis website increasing by an impressive 200 per cent.

While it’s unclear how Brexit will affect our shopping habits long term it seems that, for now at least, us Brits know what we want.

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