Black Friday, data privacy, tackling environmental impacts: 5 killer stats to start your week

Brands need to do more to tackle environmental impact of their products

More than 70% of UK consumers agree that the response from businesses to tackle the environmental damage to our planet is “too little, too late”, with that figure rising to 78% among millennials.

Almost 80% of consumers say they have switched or boycotted buying products in the last year, or are thinking of doing so, due to a brand’s environmental reputation. And almost 90% agree brands need to take more responsibility for the waste their products create and the impact it has on the environment, with 50% “strongly agreeing”.

Plastic is consumers top environmental concern, ranked in the top three by 53% of those questioned. This rises to 58% of women and 60% of those aged 45 to 64.

Source: Kantar UK

Shop prices drop in November

Shop prices fell by 0.5% year on year in November, a widening of the 0.4% decrease experienced in October and below the 12-month average of a 0.1% increase and six-month average of a 0.4% decrease.

Non-food prices were down 1.6%, below the 12- and six-month average of 0.8% and 1.4% respectively.

Food inflation eased to 1.4%, with fresh food prices increasing by 0.6% and ambient food by 2.6%.

Source: British Retail Consortium 

Nine out of 10 marketers want more data privacy training

More than nine out of 10 (94%) of marketers believe a more focused education on data regulations and how to apply them would be beneficial for the next generation of marketers.

Some 57% believe this would improve the industry’s image, while 49% believe it would improve the performance of marketing. Three-quarters also think it would give new entrants an advantage in their career.

Nearly half (49%) of marketers believe consumers trust in how brands handle their data has improved since new data regulations came into play last years. A further 46% state that trust in brands and their marketing has improved too.

Source: DMA

Consumer confidence flatlines as uncertainty reigns

Consumer confidence has flatlined, coming in at -14 in November, which marks almost four years in negative territory and with only a clear result in the general election likely to offer retailers a pre-Christmas boost.

Consumer confidence is flat compared to October and down one point compared to November 2018. People’s feelings about their personal financial situations over the past 12 months, and the general economic situation over the past 12 months, have both fallen by one point compared to last month.

The major purchase index, a key sign of whether consumers are gearing up to make big purchases, is also down one point month over month to zero. However, it is up three points compared to this time last year.

Source: GfK

Black Friday transactions jump 12.5%

The volume of Black Friday transactions in the UK jumped by 12.5% year on year. The data, from Barclaycard which processes nearly £1 in every £3 spent in the UK, shows transactions have been strong throughout Black Friday week.

By 10am, payment transactions were up 12.5%. And between 1pm and 2pm, 1,184 transactions per second were recorded, up 9% compared to 2018.

Black Friday footfall was also up – increases 6% year on year, according to ShopperTrak, and up 6.8% on Saturday.

Source: Barclaycard