British consumers can't resist the sales

British Consumers Can’t Resist the Sales

Whether it’s money off on whitegoods, or just a buy-one-get-one-free on our favourite brands of cereal, it’s fair to say that the sales and deals we encounter in stores and online can certainly tempt us in a variety of ways.

If this sounds familiar and you love a bargain, then you’ll be reassured to know that you’re not alone. We know this because we’ve carried out a survey of over 1000 UK consumers, to find out more about just how influenced we are by the many retail promotions we encounter.

Here’s what we’ve uncovered:

How Brits Feel About Sales
Our respondents painted quite a clear picture that we Brits love the sales. A huge 90% of those polled claimed that retail promotions will influence them into purchasing something, while just over half (55%) claim that they are ‘heavily influenced’ by them.

Breaking this data down further, it appears that women are typically more interested in sales than men, and overall, those aged 45-54 are the most influenced by offers and promotions.

In terms of what customers expect from sales, on average, Brits think a 45% discount or more equates to them getting a ‘good deal’.

Looking at specific events, Black Friday is the most popular sales event, closely followed by those in January and at Christmas.

British Buying Behaviour
So how much are we splashing out when we do hit the sales? It turns out that we Brits spend an average of £321 each year, and it is men who are spending the most – an average of £453 a year, compared to only £295 for women.

Making Savings
Don’t let the above fool you into thinking we’re overspending though, as based on the typical deals and offers seen during the Black Friday and Christmas sales, we are actually saving an average of £217 on the discounted goods we’re buying.

Sales Lead to More Purchases
Our survey also shows that the sales are convincing us to buy more than we had initially planned on purchasing, with 80% of respondents claiming that sales and promotions encouraged them to buy more.

Final Thoughts
While this is an intriguing insight into the behaviour of the buying public, it can also be something that businesses might want to bear in mind when thinking about their future sales events.

Ultimately, our survey shows that buyers are very keen on sales and such promotions can offer businesses a chance to turn a tidy profit. However, it can also mean that a lot more work is needed for businesses to manage them.

Even in the busiest of sales events, consumers will still expect the same quality service in everything from customer support to final delivery. Partnering with a fulfilment and delivery expert could help you manage customer demand and free up your staff to handle other challenging aspects of managing a busy sales period.