John Lewis & Partners new Shop, Live, Look 2021 report has revealed the shift in the work-life balance following the pandemic, while also revealing some of the products which defined the past 12 months and highlighting future trends for 2022.
Tents, air fryers, trampolines and Crocs were among some of the product must-haves, while the report also found that UK consumers adapted to lockdown by redesigning their living spaces to make way for home offices and exercise equipment, such as Peloton bikes.
Outside space became the ‘new inside’ as sales of hot tubs, outdoor furniture and accessories soared, while TV screens became the new shop windows as viewers adopted the fashion and lifestyle trends they watched on shows such as Friends: The Reunion, Line of Duty and Clarkson’s Farm.
The retailer also reported that johnlewis.com now accounts for between 60% and 70% of its sales, up from 40% before the pandemic.
“The unprecedented events of 2020 and 2021 have left a permanent mark on how we shop, live and look,” commented Pippa Wicks, executive director at John Lewis. “People have become clearer about what matters to them and their work-life balance has shifted towards life. At John Lewis we’ve seen these changes emerge. We aim to delight, to deliver and to disrupt.”
The retailer also highlighted some future trends for 2022, predicted by John Lewis futurologist, John Vary.
These include Together Apart, with online places where we can hang out with friends and family, rather than just talk on screen, going mainstream; Nostalgia Tech, harking back to the audio and photographic technologies of old; and Circular Economy, with greater consciousness about our planet in Britain’s households.
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