Retail Barometer: 2017 In Review
2017: The Year In Party Each year, Progressive Party Europe spends time surveying bricks and mortar party product retailers to understand and report the trends and patterns on our high street. The information in the following pages is based on the 2017 trading year, a year that will be remembered for not having too much in the way of feel good factor and for taking a cautious view for business in general. Here’s what we found...
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he results and findings of this survey would not be possible without our fantastic network of retailers, who gave up some of their busy working day to share their feedback, experience and data from the past year. The collective results give us a global view as to the state of the nation. On behalf of the trade, we are hugely grateful to all those who contributed towards this. PPE would love to dress these results up, if you’ll pardon the pun, but the reality is that we’re facing a tricky time. Although 2015 and 2016 didn’t necessarily see indies taking five holidays a year, the feeling was at least more optimistic than 2017 has been - although anything was better than before, having sailed the tail-end of the lingering recession. The current climate is, well, making us all feel a bit hard done by. We feel a bit aggrieved that just as we’re re-building energy stores, more challenge is on the way. Avoidable? Yes, although your answer may depend on whether you voted Remain or Leave. But that’s not the only issue… there’s also an elephant in the room and he hails from the Amazon.
How has business been for you?
Internet shopping is not a bad thing in truth – we’re all doing it, when it suits us. But this is a specialist market, and we feel that we should be treated as such and there’s no hiding from the fact that online trading is making a sizeable difference to the trade. It’s not just Amazon of course (and PPE would like to point out that we respect everyone’s right to do business), but whether it’s the biggest online marketplaces or a ‘bedroom trader’, the reality is that they are operating with fewer overheads and selling product cheaper than indies can buy it in. Something’s got to give. On the positive side, independent retailing has changed for the better and the results of this survey support that. Shops are now utilising social media and doing it properly. They have websites and even trade from them, licensed product is more important than ever and customer service has stepped up a notch to highlight the benefit of buying in person. It’s a changing world where the high street is concerned, but we have to believe. Plenty of Disney characters believed, over the years, and look at the money that put in your till in the good old days… Onto the numbers…
How have you seen the average spend per customer change? 52%
How has business been for you, 2017 vs 2016? 2% 18%
11%
32% 37%
■ Significant growth
There’s a saying that’s been banded about for the last few years, ‘doing the same is the new doing well’. The majority of respondents stated that 2017 held the line on 2016, though the following biggest response was a slight decline. There will always be growth though, whether through luck of judgement, so it’s not completely bad news out there.
37%
11%
2%
Average spend remains fairly stagnant, which is no bad thing, but this doesn’t take into account customers who simply didn’t turn up in the first place, opting for that cheap online purchase. Not all product online should be tarred with the same brush though, and we must remember there are specialist online party product retailers that deserve success too.
■ Slight growth
11%
■ Remained the same
37%
■ Significant growth
11%
■ Slight decline
32%
■ Slight growth
37%
■ Significant decline
18%
■ Remained the same
52%
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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19/01/2018 20:18