eBay UK clothing sales surge after UK lockdown

eBay's UK advertising arm said it had seen a surge in sales of going-out clothes and holiday-related products once lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Censuswide conducted a study of consumers on eBay in early March 2021, and then randomly selected 1,000 UK consumers for the survey. The results of eBay Ads UK showed that clothing will become an important choice for many consumers when shopping : one in five (22%) respondents plan to prioritize buying new clothes after the lockdown is lifted.

26% of 16-24 year olds said they were most excited to go to a pub, bar or nightclub when the current lockdown is lifted, while a similar 23% of those aged over 55 said this was also their top priority.

38% of consumers surveyed said that after the lockdown, they are most excited to finally go on vacation. The results by age are that 43% of consumers aged 55 and above said that the most exciting thing after the lockdown is to go on vacation, while the proportion of 16-24 year olds is 30%.

eBay Ads UK also found that 20% of consumers surveyed have more disposable income than before the pandemic, and 69% are already considering prioritizing shopping when lockdown is lifted.

eBay UK also looked back at search behavior in 2020 to predict what might happen in the future:

On June 27, 2020, a week before pubs in the UK reopened after the first lockdown, searches on eBay for skinny jeans increased 47% from the day before, while searches for earrings and false eyelashes increased 27% and 24% respectively.

On 27 June 2020, the week before pubs and bars were allowed to reopen, searches for ‘high heels’ on ebay.co.uk among consumers aged 55 and over surged 53% overnight, while searches for ‘high heels’ among consumers aged 18-34 were up 29%.

At the same time, consumers aged 55 and above have a special liking for "clutch bags", and the search volume for "clutch bags" has increased by 55%. The search volume for "clutch bags" by consumers aged 18-34 has increased by 53%.

The survey results come ahead of the UK government's latest easing of lockdown restrictions on Monday, providing an opportunity for brands to woo consumers.

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