5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Shopping

Shopping is a massive part of our culture, with many millions of us passing through our high streets and markets every day looking for the perfect dress or latest bargain you can get your hands on. We all do it, whether offline or online. From popping to the corner shop for a can of coke or, trekking to the supermarket for the weekly shop. Shopping of all kinds has a huge place in our lives and it’s something we can never avoid doing. Whether you are a shopaholic or try to budget as much as possible, here are some interesting facts you didn’t know about shopping.

1. London’s Famous Oxford Street Is the Longest High Street in Europe

At a length of a mile and a half and housing 67 stores including the original Selfridges, Gap and Zara, it is the perfect haven for shoppers. As home to many flagship stores it attracts people from all over the world. The first Topshop store is still there today, after its beginnings as ‘Peter Robinson’s Topshop’ which was originally a concession within Peter Robinsons department store which was sadly destroyed in the Blitz, then was relaunched in 1964 solely as Topshop. Despite its size there is only one pub in Oxford Street, The Tottenham, this has been there since the 19th century when it was opened under the name The Flying Horse.

2. The British Are The Biggest Online Shoppers in Europe

According to recent studies the UK spends more online than any other country within Europe, with sales predicted to reach £52.25 billion in 2015 a massive 16% increase from the £44.97 billion generated in 2014. In the UK an average of £1,174 is estimated to be spent online by each shopper in comparison to £588 in Sweden, which has the slowest growth rate within Europe and £206 per person in Poland which spends the least but has a healthy growth rate of 14.2%. Germany has the fastest growing internet sales in Europe with a growth rate of 14.9% while England is at a steady 9.6%. In 2015 it is estimated that 15.2% of all retail sales within the UK will be made online. With the ability to easily compare prices, find bargains, use discount coupons and source difficult to find products, it’s small wonder that shopping online has become the mode of choice for many Britons.

3. Women Are More Likely To Spot Offers

Research has shown that males are far less likely to see special offers and are generally less effective shoppers than us women. This is believed to be mainly because women tend to be more practiced in the art of shopping than their male counterparts and feel more comfortable in a retail environment. It seems to be that women have developed the ability to shop on ‘auto pilot’ subconsciously selecting the products and brands that they require, they are also more likely to be attuned to noticing the red and yellow signs used to advertise value products and special offers. On the other hand men are more likely to need to use their full concentration to seek out the products that they need, so will be less likely to take in other information around them. It was also found that men tend to take longer doing a large shop than women and tend to find shopping more tiring.

4. Wednesdays Are The Most Popular Shopping Day

Nobody likes Wednesdays and that’s a fact. Almost as unpopular as Mondays, afternoons on the “hump day” of the week often leave workers depressed, looking ahead to the rest of the week stretching out before them until the joys of the weekend. So how do we deal with mid-week boredom? Well, apparently we shop online. Research has shown that 4 PM on a Wednesday is the time of the week when most people in the UK surf the web to make purchases.

5. 1 Out Of 20 Women Own Over 50 Pairs Of Shoes

Women love shoes, that’s a fact that’s been known and acknowledged for generations. Now figures have shown that British women spend over a whopping £3 billion a year on footwear with Christian Louboutin ranking as the nation’s favourite shoe designer. 1 out of every 20 women has a staggering 50 pairs or more and 1 in 8 women regularly argue with their partner over their heels obsession. Despite the popularity of designer brands, the average amount spent on a pair of shoes in the UK is around £40, with high heels being a more popular choice than flats. Those with a shoe fetish should head to Selfridge’s shoe department which is the largest in the world with over 100,000 pairs in stock.

Edith Zamora