Report Summary

Period covered: 01 May – 28 May 2022

Note: This report summary is one or two months behind the current month as standard reporting practice. The content is indicative only and incomplete with certain data undisclosed. Become a member to access this data or take out a free 30 day membership trial now.

Online retail sales growth fell by 00% YoY in May (value and non-seasonally adjusted).

This was against a 00% rise a year ago, when non-essential shops were open for the whole month following their reopening on 12 April 2021.

At the time, over half of consumers said they had visited a non-essential retail store since there reopening (Retail Economics Consumer Panel) while the revival of indoor hospitality also supported the shift in spending away from the online channel.

Cost of living pressures mount

The cost of living crisis continued to dominate in May with affordability concerns at the forefront of consumers minds.

Around 9 in 10 adults reported a rise in their cost of living over the last month as inflation accelerated to 00% (9.0% in April) – a 40-year high.

Confidence was hit, with GfK’s headline consumer confidence measure falling two points to the record low rate of -40 in May.

Worryingly, this is one point lower than the previous record set during the 2008 financial crisis and masks weaker sentiment about the performance of the economy over the next year.

Recessionary behaviours adopted

For 93% of consumers, rising food costs is the main reason for their surge in overall living costs.

As a result, consumers are adopting recessionary behaviours such as trading down to own brands and shopping around to stretch budgets further.

The discounters are benefiting with Aldi’s market share climbing to 00% in May, just 0.6 percentage points behind fourth-placed Morrisons.

These behaviours supported a 00% rise in store visits, equivalent to an additional 00 00 00 visits compared with a year ago, according to Nielsen.

Resultantly, Online Food sales declined, falling by 00% YoY, albeit recording its best result this year as annual comparisons became more favourable.

Clothing & Footwear (+00%) was the standout performer, posting its strongest rise since October, against a healthy 46.1% uplift a year ago.

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Online penetration eases as consumers shop around