Despite the easing of restrictions over the course of the year, the pandemic’s lasting impact was reflected in consumers’ choices with sales of home office and exercise equipment, as well as garden furniture, soaring.

In John Lewis’ 2021 How We Shop, Live and Look report, the retailer looked at consumer shopping habits from October 2020 to September 2021, revealing that the changes consumers embraced during periods of lockdown are here to stay.

Online sales now account for between 60% and 70% of total sales compared to 40% pre-pandemic. This figure remains the same as it did in 2020’s report, illustrating how consumers had not reduced their online spend even when stores reopened. 

Staycations also played a factor in spending habits, with sales of tents rising 650% across the past 12 months. Travel accessories commonly associated with international travel recorded a drop of sales, with passport covers, travel adaptors and suitcases most affected. 

With consumers staying closer to home, the renovation boom that began at the outset of the pandemic saw no signs of slowing, with homes also acting as offices and fitness studios. Sales of fitness equipment surged by 75%.

Those with gardens also invested in their outdoor space: trampoline sales rose by 270% across the period, while hot tubs sales grew by 200%. Fire pits and garden heaters rose by almost 1,000% in October and November 2020 alone as lockdown rules meant people could only meet outdoors.

Long periods of restaurant closures meant kitchens were also transformed. Air fryer sales increased by 400% across the period, while tablecloth purchases increased by 79%. 

Popular TV shows also influenced consumer spend, illustrating entertainment’s impact on fashion. John Lewis noted that sales of waistcoats rose 114% between May and August 2021 while Line of Duty was on screens, while the impact of Clarkson’s Farm led to a 53% rise in the number of women’s Wellington boots being purchased in July of this year.

Skincare accounted for a third of all beauty sales in the recorded period, with John Lewis’ website recording over half a million searches for skincare alone in 2020 alone, according to the retailer. Consumer awareness of what they were putting on their skin also rose as vegan and eco-friendly products gained popularity. Sales of makeup products declined by a fifth due to limited opportunities for getting glammed up.

For men, necktie sales dropped 75% in the past 12 months as lack of formal occasions, as well as office closures, made them unnecessary. 

John Lewis also revealed it would no longer sell filing cabinets as storage has become more digital. 

Executive director Pippa Wicks said: “More centred and thoughtful. More aware of the importance of friends and family. More rebellious. More appreciative of our homes. Less prepared to put up with nonsense. These are just some of the ways in which customers’ priorities have changed over the last 20 months. 

“Thanks to science, the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is hopefully behind us. But the unprecedented events of 2020 and 2021 have left a permanent mark on how we shop, live and look. People have become clearer about what matters  to them and their work-life balance has shifted towards life.”

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