John Lewis reveals Britain's shopping habits

Early hours online shopping, between midnight and 6am is on the rise, as the use of mobile shopping continues to increase, according to John Lewis’s second annual report into consumer behaviour. The annual report, which explores a year’s worth of shopping data, has revealed that the

rise of mobile shopping has seen more people making purchases in the early hours, with sales via JohnLewis.com between the hours of midnight and 6am up 31 percent over the past year. It found that men are increasingly logging on around 2am to buy formalwear, while parents shop for nursery items at 4am and women buy shoes and handbags between 5 and 7am.

The findings based on real data from thousands of John Lewis customer transactions online and in store between August 2013 and July 2014, also noted that shoppers have become more comfortable with browsing and buying from their smartphones and tablets, with on average, over 50 percent of web traffic to JohnLewis.com now coming from mobile devices.

However, the report did add that while mobile has become increasingly important, the ability to mix and match purchase channels and delivery options is now the norm, with 70 percent of all John Lewis sales still taking place in its shops.

John Lewis attracts ‘early hour’ online shoppers in its retail report

It also found that it was the year of the ‘menaissance’, the sharply dressed man, with men being bolder with their fashion choices, with sales of orange shirts up 361 percent and pink socks up 75 percent. However, blue remained the most popular colour, with the Kin Stamford Tonic midnight blue suit becoming the unexpected hit.

While women embraced the trend for clashing floral prints with floral patterned trousers and flower motif tops becoming best-sellers, as well as sports luxe pieces, which saw John Lewis sales of women’s trainers grow by 26 percent, and skirts were in demand for spring/summer up by 82 percent.

Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis, said: “It seems fitting that in our 150th year as a retailer we are reflecting on the nation's shopping habits. Since our first shop opened in 1864, John Lewis has a barometer for changing trends and tastes.

“This year's report is even more insightful than last year's, with richer data, including new sections, such as how the nation shops for its children. We hope that in years to come people will turn to our report for a nostalgic glimpse of the trends that shaped the nation's shopping habits.”

Other interesting facts from the report found that Sunday was the busiest online shopping day, while Friday was the day to make investment purchases. 50 percent of John Lewis shoppers research in a shop and then buy in a shop, over 14 percent who researched online and bought online, and the grown-up onesie was left behind after its popularity in last year’s report.

Image: John Lewis Retail Report / Floral fashion