A love of home comforts is set to supercharge retail activity this Bank Holiday Weekend, data today suggests.
Insight from adtech firm Quantcast reveals that more Brits were engaging with content on when their local supermarket would be open over the May Day Bank Holiday (7.18m), than were considering last minute city breaks (6.84m).
Despite temperatures cooling, BBQs proved even more popular, with 7.77m people showing interest in the build-up to the long weekend. Only time will tell if the weather holds out to allow this figure to continue increasing over the late Bank Holiday Weekend.
It’s not just supermarkets and food brands that are likely to see an upturn in footfall ahead of the Bank Holiday either. Data shows almost 3m Brits were reading up on DIY over the last long weekend, insight that will be music to the ears of hardware stores.
Nisha Ridout, marketing director at Quantcast, says: “Brits love their home comforts. Whether that’s become increasingly true due to what we’ve been through over the past five years is tough to say, but our data highlights that a strong contingent of the UK spent the Bank Holiday Weekend having BBQs, getting a big shop done and watching sport.
“That’s not to say there isn’t still an appetite to go away. I certainly wouldn’t suggest driving south on Friday unless you fancy getting stuck in hours of traffic as people aim for Devon and Cornwall. However, the data clearly suggests that people are more than happy staying local, so retailers need to use this insight to their advantage. Whether it’s hardware stores investing in creative campaigns to drum-up interest in completing DIY that’s been ‘on the list’ for months, or supermarkets going all-in on BBQ accessories with bespoke deals, retailers should act now to avoid missing out.”
