Retailers say that more consumers are shopping online at Late Night Shopping night and early morning hours. The John Lewis Partnership Card has revealed that 1 in 15 purchases were made between midnight and 06:00. Research shows that this time period saw a 23% increase in purchases compared to 2017. Chris Field, a retail analyst, told BBC that technology has prompted this new trend.
He says, “It’s partly due to the more recent generation of mobile phones and the retailers becoming much more sophisticated.”
They’ve realised that if you visit a website but don’t buy anything, they must spend money to get you back on the site. So they’re spending a lot of money on websites and software.
I Saw It First, an online-only fast fashion retailer, says it has also seen a rise in nighttime shopping visits to its website.
According to the retailer, peak customer traffic is between 21:00 and 01:00
Customers aged 18-24 are most active during this time, and dresses and tops are most in-demand.
Currys PC World, an electronics retailer, told BBC that the peak traffic to its website is usually between 20:00 and 22:00 on weekday evenings. However, the number of customers shopping between 22:00 – 03:00 has increased by 10% in the past year.
According to the retailer, the top Late Night Shopping three product categories in terms of traffic were PC gaming hardware, components and accessories.
Why do people shop so late at night?
“It’s the only chance” Romana Kuchai is a London-based doctor who says bedtime is when she can shop online, regardless of whether it’s for Late Night Shopping essential or spur-of-the-moment items.
She is not the only one. BBC interviewed many women who said they shop for clothes at night and get their groceries delivered late at night.
Kerri Watts, a Hampshire-based marketing director, said that her brain is “buzzing” at this time of the day and she’s often shopping for house decor, clothing, food, or anything else on her to-do-list.
This is in line with John Lewis’ research which showed that women spend more at night than men. But, it is more likely that men will spend more at night than women.
UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND EARLY NIGHT ONLINE SHOPPING
Late-night shopping is on the rise. This is not just for night owls or last-minute shoppers who need to finish a task before Late Night Shopping going to bed. John Lewis Partnership Card research showed that 15 of the 15 purchases were made between midnight to 6am.
The number of purchases made within this 6-hour window increased by 23% in 2018 compared to the previous year. What is the reason for this sudden rise in late-night online shopping? There are several factors that can be considered…
Busier work lives
According to the Trades Union Congress research, the UK has the highest average weekly work hours than any other EU country. Last year, full-time employees worked on average 42 hours per week. This is almost two hours more than what the EU average working week entails.
People still need to make time for their families, household chores, and social lives, despite having a longer work week. These can lead to little time for oneself, with most of the time available after everything else has been done. Many people are so busy that shopping at night is all they have.
Online shopping is available 24/7, so shoppers can shop whenever they are ready. This is also true for consumers who work longer hours and have longer working days. They can shop online when they return from double or late shifts.
Delivery availability Late Night Shopping
Ecommerce is evolving, as is the way online retailers view delivery. Companies are competing for customers and the demand for immediate customer service, easy returns procedures, and instant gratification has become a major factor. Retailers are increasingly aware of the importance of 24/7 delivery and are considering it as a requirement for modern shoppers.
This means that online orders will no longer need to be placed before a specific time in order to be eligible for fast delivery.
Similar delivery models are being used around the globe. Hema supermarkets, owned by Alibaba, offer customers round-the-clock delivery of orders within 30 minutes in Shanghai and Beijing. Late-night shoppers have been very supportive of this move, and the West’s retail giants are trying to follow suit.
Amazon is currently the largest online retailer worldwide and offers Prime delivery within one hour in major cities like London, Liverpool, Manchester and Liverpool. With so many options, shoppers don’t have to be discouraged by placing orders at night because they know that it won’t affect their delivery options.
Online platforms such as UberEats or Deliveroo are catching on. They no longer offer take-out. Instead, you can order groceries Late Night Shopping and other essentials from select stores almost immediately. This allows shoppers to stockpile their fridge while ordering take-out. It also opens up the possibility of shopping in the future.
Age of the audience
Late-night shopping is also influenced by the age of the consumers who shop later at night. I Saw It First, a fashion retailer, concurs. They were the primary sponsors of the 2019 season of ITV’s reality TV show Love Island. They reported that they saw a spike in traffic between 9pm-1am when they sponsored the show. Most of their customers were between 18-24 years old.
This was due to the show’s ending at 9pm. The viewers wanted to purchase the clothes they saw and went to the retailer Late Night Shopping to shop. Many products featured on these shows are promoted by social media stars or influencers. Customers can order items quickly and have them delivered to their homes in no time.
