Retail Barometer: 2018 In Review
Which main factors had a positive effect on your business this year?
These are the results we like! Trying new products, those ghastly new housing estates taking away doctors appointments but providing new punters and retailers getting trigger happy with their Facebook page. It’s true what they say, change is as good as, well, the plan to have Halloween always being on a Saturday. Trying new products
1st
Reduction in competition
2nd
Website / social media development
3rd
Licensed product/films
4th
Local area growth
5th
Which of these main factors had a detrimental effect on your business in 2018?
We are asking for bad news so it’s no surprise that we got bad news here. But no real surprises, nothing new, just the reality of the seismic level consumer purchasing change that is now the new normal. If you can adjust the numbers and still make a profit, you can survive – that’s the simple answer. Mass e-commerce growth
1st
Party products in supermarkets
2nd
Increase in overhead costs
3rd
The UK retail economy
4th
Other factors
5th
Category Focus What promotional activities have you used to generate custom?
Social media comes top of the charts as a tool to generate new custom, which by and large is free and easy. Dig out a copy of this survey from seven years ago and you’ll be reminded of your age. What the tech world taketh, it also giveth. #InstaBalloon
Taking categories as a whole, what have been your best-selling product areas throughout 2018?
Balloons still take top place in terms unit numbers for traditional party product retailers. As was echoed in the opening review, it’s a specialist area that is harder to buy online than other packaged items.
100%
1
Balloons
■ Seasonal promotions
43%
2
Face-paint and special effects
■ Local advertising
34%
3
Costumes
■ Enhanced window displays
34%
4
Partyware
■ Staff training
17%
■ Local events
17%
5
Craft
6
Greetings
■ Social media
3% How have supermarkets and discount stores affected your trade this year? 3% 7% 39%
22%
29%
No real change to the realities of independent retailing; supermarkets have the buying power and the car parking, but e-commerce gives consumers bargain priced product without leaving home. If you can’t beat them, try and join them…
■ E-commerce is more of a threat
39%
■ Significant effect 29% ■ Slight effect
22%
■ No real effect
7%
■ Supermarkets hurt more than the internet
3%
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