John Lewis report reveals a return of the Saturday shopper

Over the last 12 months, we've seen customers return to shops, especially on Saturdays for a family day out where footfall is up 11 percent. During the height of lockdowns, 81 percent of our sales came via the internet, this has fallen back to 57 percent with many dwelling in stores and hospitality and catering sales up 20 percent versus last year, with an astonishing 3.09 million cups of coffee sold and 1.79 million pots of tea.

Throughout the year, many TV and pop culture moments influenced customer shopping habits, from the finale of hit series 'Succession' influencing tailoring to increase 70 percent to the two blockbuster films of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer, creating the 'Barbenheimer effect'.

Meanwhile, social media platform TikTok allowed influencers such as Hailey Beiber to create new weekly beauty trends such as 'Strawberry Girl' for customers to purchase the products to 'get the look; sales of the Hourglass Unlocked Mascara featured in her video increase 389 percent the week it was posted.

Within the home and during a year of economic uncertainty, customers opted for efficiency with rechargeable lamps and fans among this year's best sellers.

Microwave cooking products saw an increase of 41 percent and the "duvet sandwich" also proved popular where customers have been buying a 4 tog for summer and a 9 tog for autumn which can be buttoned together to create a 13 tog winter warmer.

Supersized interiors, whether indoor or out, are also proving to be popular for many with sales of sofas with 5 or more seats jumping 36 percent and the best seller being the lozenge sofa, a supersized statement corner sofa with enough space to binge and sprawl alongside sales of larger statement rugs increasing 61 percent compared with last year and sales of super king mattresses up 32 percent versus a decade ago.

For womenswear fashion it's puffa coats that have been left behind in favour of tailored trenches and formal coats where John Lewis have increased their buy by nearly a third versus last year whilst in menswear it's the overshirt 'shacket' that has been in demand, so much so, John Lewis has doubled their offering.

Saving the planet and conscious shopping is front of mind for many with nearly half a million customers visiting the John Lewis fashion rental site with more than 1,500 rentals booked. 

John Lewis Commercial Director Says: "Over the last ten 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. Within the last 12 months we have really seen a return to the shops and a return of style. Customers are eating, drinking, spending time in our shops and enjoying all that our stores have to offer – customer numbers are up 8% on last year as many families have discovered, it's quite a good value day out! 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."