With wedding season in full swing, and to celebrate its 21st birthday this month, eBay has launched the UK Retail Report, opening up their data to give a snapshot of how Brides-to-be shop and sell.
The report reveals that on average Brits spend more than year to plan a wedding, with clear purchase priorities throughout the year from mason jars to wedding rings.
New Year is a watershed for wedding planning – perhaps boosted by Christmas and New Year proposals – with January 1st being the most popular day to search for wedding invitations, with over 4,700 current listings for wedding stationery, including everything from traditionally embossed to homemade craft style invites.[1]
And despite current listings for wedding dresses reaching nearly 30,000[2], it seems that January and February, is the best time to window shop for the perfect dress with 1.7 million searches, whether it’s a vintage lace number like Kate’s or a contemporary two piece as worn by Olivia Palermo.
The next priority for brides to be are the shoes, with a peak in sales during March – there are nearly 89,000 listings currently on site[3] and over 21,000 items sold in the last three months.[4]
However, Mothers of the bride also want to look good – with over 300,000 searches for their outfit during April with sales of ladies hats peaking in May.
When it comes to decking out venue for the day, the increased popularity of festival weddings has seen over 300,000 bunting related items sold in the last three months.[5] White wellies are a must have item for brides planning a big day in a field, with nearly 55,000 wellies listed on site.[6]
As expected, the grooms leave it late to get their own outfit (June is the peak month), with over 41,000 current listings for top hats and nearly 20,000 cravats sold on site in the last three months.[7] However we do see the H2B helping out the bride with searches during the lead up to the big day – especially when choosing bridesmaid dresses.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the eBay UK Retail Report:
Every year, millions of people buy and sell on eBay in the UK. We're one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces - and this year, we turn 21.
For 21 years, we've been with consumers as online shopping became a part of daily life. We were among the first to recognise the retail power of the smartphone - our app has now been downloaded 314 million times. And we've helped an army of UK entrepreneurs set up shop from their laptops, trading with customers across the world - and around the clock.
About eBay:
Established in 1995, today eBay is one of the largest marketplaces in the world with 164 million active shoppers and 1 billion live listings today. Our mission is to be the world’s favourite destination for discovering great value and unique selection.
57% of eBay’s sales are touched by mobile.
On eBay.co.uk:
A make-up product is purchased every 10 seconds
A necklace is purchased every 3 seconds
A wedding item is purchased every 6 seconds
A power tool is purchased every 9 seconds
A motorcycle part is purchased every 8 seconds
A Lego product is purchased every 19 seconds
In the UK on mobile:
A cookware item is purchased every 13 seconds
A pair of men’s shoes is purchased every 6 seconds
A tablet is purchased every 1 minute
A bedding item is purchased every 13 seconds
A car part is purchased every 3 seconds
A car is purchased every 2 minutes
CONTACTS
Yasmin Khostovan and Ruth Evans at Launch PR – 020 7758 3900 or ebay@launchpr.co.uk.
[1] Data taken from eBay.co.uk 14.09.16
[2] Data taken from eBay.co.uk 15.09.16
[3] Data taken from eBay.co.uk 14.09.16
[4] All data taken from eBay.co.uk 15.06.16 – 12.09.16
[5] Data taken from eBay.co.uk 15.09.16
[6] Data taken from eBay.co.uk 15.09.16
[7] All data taken from eBay.co.uk 15.06.16 – 12.09.16