Remember the thrill? You’ve wanted that dress for months. You think you might even have wanted it before it was even a chalk mark on a stretch of fabric. That dress is yours. You start to track it…you log it in Debenhams, Net a Porter, eBay. It’s December 24th. You’re just about to log out of work and check in to Christmas. And then…just one final google. Bam. It’s there. Only 30% off. But that’s still off, right? House of Fraser. Boxing Day. 12am. Your family is at home tucking into the cold turkey. But you’re in the queue and you’ve got that dress. And as you make the final purchase 0f 2009 you think to yourself, maybe for me too, cold turkey. No more spending. And then you see just the most perfect handbag…
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Shooting foxes used to be a common Christmas pastime. It’s not anymore. Playing board games with grandpa used to be a common Christmas pastime. Not anymore. Shopping, just for fun, used to be a common pastime. Not anymore.

We don’t believe that consumers have stopped shopping for fun but that the definition of that fun is being rewritten.

Fun used to be about whiling away the hours between a coffee and an M&S sandwich, having a gossip, finding a parking space, dawdling in the changing rooms – now it’s about the hunt. You linger – you lose. We’re shedding some of those very British inhibitions; voucher clipping, queue barging and bartering and we’re quite happily turning even the smartest department stores into our own person Souk. You want another 10% off in Debenhams? Just ask. You think it’s tacky to print out a BOGOF coupon for Pizza Express? Not when your night out with the kids only cost you £20.

And you know what? Learning these new ways of shopping is turning out to be quite fun.

We’re speaking to consumers, albeit not at the most strapped end of the spending spectrum, and none of them have entirely lost that glint of pleasure in their eyes when faced with the prospect of shopping. If they’re in the supermarket they’re getting more savvy about the relative values of loyalty points vs. product offers. They’re not just counting their points, their strategizing their point collection. If they’re looking for higher ticket goods, yes, they’ll comb a few sites and check back a few times before they commit. But this knowledge gathering is becoming a conversation in itself. Friends will send links to each other if they know others are looking for specific objects and a good deal will be posted as a Facebook status update.

Furthermore, some brands have stopped being merely aspirational and now feel within some consumers’ grasps. If they’re savvy and stealthy they can actually make the dream of a designer handbag a reality. It’s not about the money anymore, it’s about patience and wit. Where some consumers would not have dreamt of shopping for designer goods before, now they think they can (and they are).

Of course, it’s not all about handbags and pizza. Many of the consumers we speak to have pressing financial concerns and they are pretty scared. But, getting a good deal on the winter coat you do actually need or tripling your points by just buying the right chicken, those expenditures are still a drop in the ocean against a backdrop of worry.

And let’s face it, despite our growing chutzpah when it comes to the haggle, we’re still British. We keep calm and carry on up the high street.

Chloe