Milton Keynes, UK, 2014-12-18 — /EPR Retail News/ — A new independent report has unveiled the new ways that 49 million[1] people are shopping in modern-day Britain.
Eight different shopping ‘tribes’ have been revealed in the How We Shop Report[2], commissioned by Argos through Opinion Matters in partnership with Leeds Beckett University, identifying the different tactics and traits we exhibit when hitting the high streets and surfing the web in the run up to Christmas.
The most popular shopping group is ‘Secret Shoppers’ (one third of shoppers) who shop alone and are least likely to be influenced by other people’s opinions, followed by ‘Advos’ (one in five of shoppers) who are loyal to their brands and prefer to click and collect so that they can get their product immediately.
The group most likely to be shopping right up until Christmas Eve are ‘Radar Shoppers’ (seven per cent of shoppers), who will hit the stores at the last minute because their purchasing is impulsive and unplanned.
‘Shopping Einsteins’ (eight per cent of all shoppers) tend to wait for the flash sales, with roughly eight million of them expected to shop in bed or on the toilet to research and grab bargains before anybody else, while ‘Digital Magpies’ (7.7%) use technology and are most likely to shop at work.
Despite all of the modern day gadgets one in ten shoppers – otherwise known as ‘ReTrads’ (one in ten of all shoppers) still prefer to go into a shop for face-to-face advice and interaction before buying a product. Nine out of ten ‘Peacocks’ (one in forty shoppers) who love to shout about their purchases on social media will be hitting the high street this Christmas.
Finally, ‘Cruisers’ (ten per cent of shoppers) have the most time on their hands and like the social side of hitting the high street and retail parks for all of their shopping, while the ‘Quick Clickers’ are time-pressed and will leave a website if there are too many clicks to purchase.
The report, where Opinion Matters surveyed 2,057 UK consumers, also reveals that the high street is still a key shopping destination, with only nine per cent of shoppers saying they will spend their whole budget online. Roughly 2.8 million shoppers will be looking to grab last minute bargains by mixing and matching the ways they shop, such as reserving items on their smartphone on the way into town to collect in store.
Almost a fifth of shoppers will be using a tablet device to get their Christmas stockings sorted, while men are more likely than women to go surfing the web for Santa’s gifts. The average shopper is set to spend around £365 this Christmas.
Stephen Vowles, Argos Marketing Director, said: “The acceleration of technology and its impact on our lifestyles means the way we shop is changing, as these new ‘shopping typologies’ show. Argos has been the heartbeat of British retail for over 40 years, and as ever, we’re geared up to serve customers in the way that best suits them, whether they’re a ‘ReTrad’ or a ‘Digital Magpie’ and whether they’re shopping from the sofa, on the bus or on-the-move.
“With Christmas a week away, whether you’re a ‘Radar Shopper’ or simply someone who’s forgotten a crucial gift, it’s not too late. With Argos, you can check stock availability at your local store using our app and reserve products, for free, for instant collection right up to Christmas Eve. There’s no better present to yourself than having the peace of mind that you can get your hands on those last minute gifts on your local high street.”
Customers can use Argos’ Check & Reserve service for free, instant pick up from store on Argos’ website and apps. Argos customers can also order large items for home delivery before Christmas Day up until 20 December, and for small items up until 6pm on 22 December.
To download the full How We Shop Report, please visit www.issuu.com/howweshopreport.
[1] UK Adult population, 2011 Census.
[2] The research for Argos’ How We Shop Report was carried out by Opinion Matters between 27 November and 5 December 2014, resulting in 2,057 responses from UK consumers.
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Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact the Argos Press Office on 0845 120 4365 or email: media.relations@argos.co.uk. Follow us on Twitter at @argos_PR.
The different tribes are:
Secret Shoppers
Accounting for just over a third of all shopping types, secret shoppers are typified by their preference to shop alone, rather than with partners or in groups. They are the group least likely to be influenced by social media reviews, spending on average £319 on gifts.
Shopping Einsteins
Quite comfortable combining commuting with shopping and often wait for ‘flash sales’ before they swoop and are the group most likely to use tablets or even Smart TVs for shopping. Shopping Einsteins are also most likely to shop from the bed, the bath and beyond and four out of ten will research retail social channels before making a purchase, and will spend an average of £406 on gifts.
Digital Magpies
Priding themselves on securing the best deals and securing the very latest gadgets and technology, unsurprisingly digital magpies are the group most likely to be using hi-tech smart phones to do their Christmas shopping. They are twice as likely to shop whilst at work compared to the average shopper, and are highly influenced by online forums and reviews. Expected to spend £455 on gifts this year.
Quick Clickers
Mostly students aged 18-30. Time-pressed – travel for business and/or to sleep less than 6 hours on average per night each week. Buy between 7pm and before 9am (outside store opening hours) with the intent to purchase in the same internet session. Favour ‘Fast Track’ services and PayPal which makes the buying of goods as quick as possible – ‘click, basket, buy’. Will not buy if check out process is too long and involved. Often leave themselves logged in to websites to speed up the shopping process. Will leave website if there are too many clicks to purchase.
Radar Shoppers
Much of their shopping is unplanned until it’s on their radar, and adopt an ad-hoc and impulsive approach to shopping. Highly influenced by what they see on TV radar shoppers are, perhaps by virtue of their lack of planning, the highest spenders, expecting to spend £457 each on gift.
ReTrads
This group prefers one on one interaction with shop assistants in-store, and tend to only shop online for convenience. They are also well prepared for Christmas as the group least likely to need to do ‘last-minute’ this year. Whilst displaying some traditionalist views and behaviour they are still very comfortable shopping online. ReTrads represent one in ten of all shoppers and will be spending around £309 each.
Cruisers
Cruisers enjoy the social element of hitting the stores and relish taking their time over decisions. They are twice as likely, compared to other groups, to do their research and buying all in-store and are also more likely to be found at multi-store out of town retail parks this Christmas. On average,
Cruisers will be spending £371 each this Christmas.
Advos
Almost one in five of all shoppers, Advos strike the most equal balance between online and offline and become very loyal to their preferred retailers. They are the biggest advocates of click and collect – some 16% tend to shop in this way. Advos will be spending more than average this Christmas, with total gift buying forecast at £404 each on average.
Peacocks
Accounting for one in forty shoppers, Peacocks pride themselves in shopping with brands that
treat them well. They have a tendency to tell as many people as possible about their purchases and experiences. Almost nine out of ten Peacocks will be hitting the high-street this Christmas –
spending £308 each on average.
About Argos
Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering around 43,000 products through www.argos.co.uk, its growing mobile channels, stores and over the telephone.
Argos continues to be the UK’s largest high street retailer online with around 123m customer transactions a year through its stores and 738 million website and app visits in the 12 months to February 2014. Customers can take advantage of Argos’ convenient Check & Reserve service available through its network of 734 stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
In the financial year to February 2014, Argos sales were £4.1 billion and it employed some 29,000 people across the business.
Argos is part of Home Retail Group, the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer.
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