PayPal reveals British spending habits during lockdown and the impact on our purchasing priorities in the future
As restrictions begin to lift across the UK and non-essential retailers reopen in England, new data from PayPal reveals that the lockdown has given Brits time to rethink their spending priorities. Nearly three quarters (73%) believe supporting the local economy is key to emerging from the crisis.
Consumers realised the importance of small and medium businesses or local shops during lockdown, with over half (57%) saying they chose to shop small to help support both their local and the national economy.
Now lockdown is starting to ease, 85% of British consumers say they will continue to shop online with small and medium retailers at the same or even greater frequency. A further 90% say they plan to do the same with the local stores they have discovered.
Lockdown spending patterns
The data from PayPal also reveals how our purchasing habits shifted during the peak of lockdown, as we had no option but to buy everyday products online.
Half of Brits (50%) discovered they can buy everything they need online with no problem. This was particularly true for the over 65s, nearly two fifths (39%) of whom bought a product or service online for the first-time during lockdown.
Lockdown essentials: In the UK over 1,500 dog treats, 9,400 drawing and painting products, 3,200 bathroom accessories and 1,700 cleaning products were bought online by Brits every day.
Pampering at home: During the first weeks of lockdown, sales of hair-cutting and colouring products spiked by 377%. With Brits forced to pamper themselves at home, sales of beauty and personal care items also jumped by 90%, with eight nail polishes and nine haircare products bought online every minute.
Embracing the outdoors: There was a 144% increase in the purchase of patio, lawn, and outdoor items, with four plants or seed packets bought by green-fingered Brits every minute!
Should you, like most Brits, continue to shop online after lockdown, PayPal is on hand to help you check-out quickly and securely. Create an account today, and join 305 million users worldwide with safe, convenient and easy payments.
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Notes to Editors
Statistics are drawn from a nationally representative survey of 2,000 members of the general UK population. Conducted by IPSOS on behalf of PayPal between 8th to 15th May 2020.
Additional data provided by the PayPal Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) who analysed growth in PayPal Transactions between Apr 2020 vs Jan 2020 across SKU categories, daily average transactions of the top products purchased in April 2020 using PayPal and the two Weeks Pre-Lockdown (9th Mar to 22nd Mar) was compared with two weeks Post-Lockdown (23rd Mar to 5th Apr).