The continued effects of lockdown on UK shoppers

Recent research has investigated how consumer behaviour has developed over the past few months as people have adapted their shopping styles to the lockdown.

According to YouGov one in three (30%) say they have used local retailers more since the pandemic struck with 80% of them aiming to carry on shopping this way in the future. YouGov also showed that furloughed workers are more anxious about their finances than other Brits, with two in five (39%) worrying about affording food and other essentials.

While the future for physical shops remains uncertain, research undertaken by Intu has shown that despite the rise in online shopping, £8 out of every £10 spent in the UK in 2025 will still be influenced by a physical store in some way. Furthermore, 81% of people said they would visit shopping centres the same or more often than before COVID-19.

These figures give retailers a rough outline of the shopping behaviour that they can expect to see among consumers as the lockdown begins to ease, and how they can begin to prepare.

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