There’s every chance I may be mentally scarred for life.  I just read a report from retailer John Lewis which throws some interesting light on online shopping habits. There are some fascinating insights there, which I’ll come back to in a moment, but first I want to share my mental torment with you.

Apparently, the  North West of England is home to the highest proportion of women likely to be wearing a thong.  Now I’ve been to Blackpool, and I’ve  seen  the women walking (or perhaps ‘waddling’ is a more accurate description)  the streets there. I now have a mental picture that I can’t shake off.  Imagine trying to tie up a block of  slightly warm butter with a twelve inch piece of dental floss. You’ll be lucky if you see that floss again, and even  if you do, it’s not going to be any use  for anything.  Now you have that image too, and you can’t un-imagine it. I did that to you, but I’m not ashamed.  It’s true what they say – it’s good to share.

Anyway, when I started out in business over 20 years ago, those of us in ‘mail order’, and using customer data to develop products and target promotions, were in a minority. Most businesses did little or no research and data mining was in its infancy. Traditional retailers in particular had their sales figures of course, but they didn’t really know much about their customers shopping habits and spending patterns.  Now, thanks to the internet, and the analytical tools it provides, they know almost everything.

Here are some of the interesting facts and figures gleaned from the John Lewis report:

•  Shopping habits are greatly influenced by what happens on TV and in the media. Sales of food mixers jump 62% during baking shows, sales of food mincers  rose 48% during the horse meat scandal, online searches for trainers spiked during Andy Murray’s Wimbledon triumph, and searches for sewing machines tripled during The Great British Sewing Bee Show.

• Online shopping is both growing and evolving with consumers moving freely between Desktop PC’s, tablets and smartphones. PC’s tend to be used during the working day, tablets in the evening while watching TV and smartphones at night – perhaps in bed? Shopping has now become a 24 hour a day activity.

•  The amount of research that goes into a purchase varies greatly by product.  For example, choosing soft furnishings is a long drawn out process while products for children are searched and chosen very quickly.

• Sales vary depending on  the device used. More expensive items tend to be bought on PC. The most popular item purchased on a smartphone is an Egyptian towel, reflecting its low cost and the ease of the purchasing decision.

• Tastes vary by region. Shoppers in the south East bought 40% of all the chocolate coins sold last Christmas. Women in the north East are partial to leopard print underwear whereas those in  Wales favour scarlet. In addition to their penchant for  thongs, women in the north West are also the biggest  buyers of Wonderbras. So not all bad then.

• There’s a trend towards the traditional in men’s clothing and grooming with bow ties, cravats, brogues, tuxedos and beard oil, all showing double digit increases in demand.

• Technology is hugely popular, but people are also increasingly seeking out a balance. Traditional Christmas trimmings are just as much on ‘the up’ as are hi-tech Christmas trees, and traditional board games are growing in demand alongside their digital competitors.

All this is interesting for two reasons. Firstly it’s a guide to shopping behaviour and  trends – and what influences them. It gives us pointers towards what products might become  popular in the near future, and when/where/how they might be most effectively promoted and marketed. It also gives a clear indication that we can’t afford to be only ‘open’ in regular business hours. Buying stuff has become a 24 hour a day activity.

The second interesting aspect  is the availability of the data itself. John Lewis are a huge multi-national organisation, and yet you and I now have easy access to data about our own businesses,  which would have been out of the reach of  even a company like John Lewis, just a few years ago.

If I log on to Google Analytics for example, and look at the site you’re on now, I can see how many people visited, how they arrived here, when they arrived, what they looked at while they were here and for how long, how old they are, their gender, where they live, what their interests are, what device they used to access the site and a whole host of other things.  We’re certainly not short on information.

This really is a golden age for anyone in the business of marketing products and services. All the information about your customers wants, needs and behaviour is right at your fingertips. The downside, of course, is that it’s at everyone else’s fingertips too. And so the victory doesn’t go to those who have access to the data. It goes to those who are able to analyse and interpret the data effectively, and then adjust and adapt what they have to offer, and how they offer it, accordingly.

In that sense, nothing much has changed, but if you don’t look at the freely available data in the first place, you’re putting yourself at an immediate disadvantage.

On the basis of what I’ve learned from the John Lewis report, I’m going to be opening a ladies underwear  stall on Blackpool seafront. It won’t open until just before dark and will close soon after night fall. I’ve already decided on a name for my new business, based on a Noel Coward play. How classy is that? It will be called ‘ A Thong At Twilight’

Don’t worry, I’m already going for me coat…