Brits’ streaming habits cause 475% surge in shopping for related items

· Chess board popularity increased 650% after the release of The Queen’s Gambit, between September and December 2020

· Disney + was launched on 24th March 2020 and saw a 100% increase in popularity of both LEGO Disney Elsa’s Magical Ice Palace and LEGO Disney Arendelle Castle Village

· Series 2 of The Mandalorian in October caused a 1950% increase in popularity of LEGO Star Wars The Mandalorian & The Child from October to December

UK lockdown streaming is driving Brits to make online purchases based on their favourite shows, with up to a 475% increase in interest on certain products related to the shows. This is according to data by impartial price and product comparison service, PriceSpy.

With Brits spending 40% of their waking hours watching TV, PriceSpy has found that the nation’s favourite shows are influencing buying habits. The launch of Disney + in March had a major impact on Star Wars and Disney branded products, particularly with the hit series, The Mandalorian.

The eagerly anticipated release of the second series, which has captured the nation’s hearts with Baby Yoda, is having the biggest influence on purchasing habits. PriceSpy found that following the show’s release, toys based on it saw a significant popularity surge, with a 1950% increase in interest on a Lego Mandalorian and child set.

Streaming and lockdowns have also broadened the appeal of boardgames. Netflix’s The Queens’s Gambit grew to unprecedented popularity in October. This resulted in a 650% popularity increase in chess boards, with Brits eager to test their skills. Despite being gripped by a pandemic, its boardgame namesake saw a 637.5% year-on-year popularity increase from 2019.

July saw the hit show Mrs America air on the BBC, reviving the 70’s style icons of the feminist movement, such as Gloria Steinem and her signature aviator sunglasses. Consequently, popularity in the glasses went up 7.5% in the weeks after airing.

There were many stand out TV and movie hits in 2020, helping get everyone through the multiple lockdowns, keeping everyone talking and, as PriceSpy demonstrates, buying.

The key times where access to TV shows coincided increases in items popularity are:

PriceSpy UK commercial director, Ossie Bayram, comments: “As lockdowns confined us indoors, streaming TV shows has been a go-to way for Brits to pass the time. What we watch is having a significant impact on what we buy, from shopping for toys related to the Mandalorian series, to many taking up chess after the sensation of The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix.

 

“Those shopping for these on-trend items should make sure they still shop smart. It's crucial that shoppers know they don’t have to take the first price they see. There are hundreds of online retailers delivering during lockdown. Spending 10 minutes comparing on a price comparison site could save households hundreds of pounds."

 

ENDS

Media enquiries 
For more information or for interview requests: 
Lizzie Elkin 07824832106 / lizzie@milkandhoneypr.com

About PriceSpy 
PriceSpy is a comprehensive price and product comparison service used by millions of consumers every month. It helps consumers find, discover, research and compare products.  PriceSpy has 5,520,000 indexed prices, 829,000 products, 6,910,000 product properties, along with hundreds of thousands of product and shop ratings. Providing a fully impartial comparison service for consumers and a deep depository of price data for retailers.  Prisjakt launched in the year 2000 and is Sweden's largest price comparison service. The service is known in Sweden and Norway as Prisjakt, and in the UK and New Zealand as PriceSpy.  

 

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