With 62% of all purchases during lockdown made online and only 16% of shoppers planning to return to their old shopping habits, behaviour towards online discounts and spend has also changed, according to new research.
Research from charity fundraising website Savoo provided insight into what brands customers are looking for and spending on – from prioritising their wine stocks to filling up on takeaway pizza.
Wine sellers Laithwaites saw the biggest jumps between January and April with a 1,914% increase in people looking for vouchers and a 155% increase in spending
Brits searching for wine vouchers now more than ever
Budget-savvy buyers often go looking for vouchers prior to making a purchase, but during lockdown, searches for many brands saw huge spikes – including a massive 1,914% increase in those looking for discounts on wine as soon as the pubs closed. And as lockdown went on, brands such as Laithwaites have continued to see voucher interest soar, with an increase of 331% in June compared to the beginning of the year.
Some of the other top brands people have been looking for include:
These search increases are valuable: Laithwaites saw an increase of 155% in spend through Savoo as a result of their 1,914% increase in people tracking down deals – while Bamboo Clothing’s 1,382% rise in searches resulted in a massive 6,656% jump in revenue.
Notably, interest in Food & Drink products like Dominos and Muscle Food shot up by 2,061% between January and April. Dominos was the more popular of the two overall as discount searches increased by 169% compared with 124% for Muscle Food. People did, at least, briefly have high expectations of themselves, as sales for the fitness food brand shot up by 262% in the second two weeks of March.
But as lockdown measures lifted in June, many of these initial jumps eased off, with searches for Laithwaites vouchers dropping from their peak in April by 79%. People did start focusing on their health again though, as Dominos voucher searches dropped by 47%.
Bored Brits turn fit knitters to fill their time
Unable to visit venues or events, people have fallen back on old-school hobbies to fill their time – with knitting and crochet brand Deramores drawing 222% more searches for vouchers and 65% more spending.
And wannabe chefs have taken to buying products to support their pastimes too: kitchen tech sellers VonShef picked up 241% more interest and 65% more in sales as shoppers realised they can’t make a high-quality meal without the latest cookware and kitchen gadgets.
Home & Garden vouchers, too, have been sought out 678% more, and although alcohol traders Laithwaites have proved more popular during lockdown, people working from home are still staying on top of their health as Sports & Outdoors discounts have drawn 448% more searches.
Spending habits
Searches don’t always translate to sales, however, and what people are actually claiming discounts on tells a slightly different story:
Though there’s some overlap with the increased number of searches for products, there are some notable differences.
Savers, in particular, only saw an increase in people searching for vouchers of 22% – but a 227% increase in people spending through Savoo at the online discount store.
“Even though both Boots and Savers kept a number of branches open due to selling essential household products, there was a shift in the way people shopped for these due to not wanting to go out – a shift we expect to remain.” Said Yasmeen Lubbock, UK Country Manager at Savoo.
Even purchases from Argos, which saw a 278% increase in spending and a 72% increase in searches for vouchers, highlighted a move towards occupying shoppers’ time, as top-selling products included garden furniture & accessories, toys & children’s entertainment, home office, work out equipment, wearable fitness tech, and tech.
Source: Savoo.co.uk