// John Lewis Partnership publishes new findings based on shopping habits amid Covid-19
// At Waitrose, basket sizes doubled during the second week of lockdown
// The John Lewis website saw a slight dip in traffic around 5pm as people tuned in for the government briefing
John Lewis Partnership has published its latest annual shopping trends report that reveals new changes in Brits’ habits during the coronavirus lockdown.
The group teamed up with OnePoll to research 2000 UK adults during the last six weeks, and found that shopping behaviours have changed due to many people choosing to stay at home.
In its grocery division, the partnership found that basket sizes doubled in week two when Waitrose brought social distancing measures into place in its shops, while total customer numbers and shopping frequency fell to lower than the same period in 2019.
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Meanwhile, the John Lewis website saw a slight dip in traffic around 5pm as people tuned in for the government briefing.
By week four, searches for toys and books on the department store’s website started to spike at 8.30pm as parents looked for ways to keep children entertained.
In week five, full trolley shops were up 56 per cent at Waitrose compared to the same week last year.
Single, meal-focused shops were down over 70 per cent.
John Lewis’ website also saw customers putting more items in their shopping baskets per shop to streamline deliveries.
By week six, the average weight of a Waitrose order was 30 per cent higher than usual, and included 49 per cent more items.
Moreover, a growing number of people are making their own protective face masks driving sales of elastic up by a colossal 1430 per cent.
The John Lewis Partnership expects customers’ shopping behaviours to change for the long term, such as a shift to online, and a focus on getting fit and staying well.
An increased number of Brits are also expected to support their local producers more post lockdown and many will attempt to create restaurant experiences at home.
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