SATNAVS, eReaders, spiralizers and office suits for women all fell out of fashion over the last year as consumers turned to products that helped them “escape from the serious side of life”, according to retailer John Lewis.
The department store’s annual report into shopping trends suggests the last year’s economic and political uncertainty could in part explain why shoppers sent sales of online pool inflatables up 99% on the previous year, mermaid-themed products up 22% and why unicorns were emblazoned on everything from wallets to water bottles.
The report said “a touch of the exotic and the fantastic helped people escape from the serious side of life”.
“Unicorn and mermaid-themed products and giant inflatables in the shape of donuts, flamingos and watermelons were all on-trend and saw substantial sales,” it stated.
The retailer said it planned to remove satnavs from its stocklist after built-in devices and smartphone options sent sales plummeting, while the spiralizer fad ended abruptly with online searches down 53% and shoppers bought fewer eReaders and analogue radios.
The traditional office suit for women appears to be heading out of fashion, with sales of matching jackets and skirts down 10%, as are push-up bras, with sales of non-padded options up 20%.
While menswear saw strong sales of bow ties over the last 12 months, demand for the cummerbund fell 21% over the last five years.
Meanwhile, products that made an unexpected return to favour included bookcases, the Rubik’s Cube, record players and filofaxes.
Peter Cross, director of customer experience at John Lewis, said: “How we shop continues to change at pace.
“Five years on, this report is as intriguing as ever – as much for highlighting what we bought as highlighting what we haven’t.”
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