As well as affecting pounds spent, the pandemic appears to have changed our habits when it comes to buying more online – particularly in some sectors.
Some of the changes in sector spending may be owing to people taking up hobbies, well-being activities or lifestyle changes during lockdowns.
Gardening items, such as flowers, plants, seeds, fertilisers, and pets and pet food have also shifted online, and we are buying more of them than in 2019. However, this category is a small component of our official retail data and that means a small change will cause the trend to move around more than it would in larger categories.
The same shift to online is true of “sports equipment, games and toys”, which still has spending higher than before the pandemic.
