Electricals galore during lockdown

Lockdown has a wonderful impact on electrical sales, which have risen dramatically over the last year.

As we’ve been forced to remain at home for our own safety in the fight against Covid-19, we’ve had to look at alternative ways to entertain ourselves.

So, what kind of electrical items have people been buying?

Home improvements

The first lockdown, during Spring/Summer 2020, saw a huge number of householders turn to DIY. Many simply painted walls and freshened their environments, others reconfigured rooms and installed new kitchens and bathrooms.

Now that we are in the winter months, amid a third lockdown, there are a number of people doing more than simply updating their decor. Extensions and loft conversions, etc. can go ahead now that tradespeople are allowed to work, which wasn’t the case in the first lockdown.

It’s perhaps the knowledge that this virus will be with us for a long time, if not forever, that has seen some people look at how they currently live and wonder whether their home as it is will meet their needs for the next few years – particularly if they’re going to working from home a lot more, if their offspring won’t be moving out when they may have planned, or if elderly relatives were to move in with the family.

Some people have become so sick of walking around their neighbourhoods during lockdown that they’re desperate to move, just for a change of scene.

Of course, with many renovations and house moves, people purchase new items…maybe new kitchen appliances, new tech for a recently-fashioned home office, an electrical supply to outdoors as homeowners decide to use their gardens as an extra ‘room’ (let’s face it, you couldn’t buy a hot tub for love nor money last summer – someone was buying them!).

New hobbies

How many people baked banana bread this last year? When the usual outlets for escapism and entertainment aren’t on offer, you have to look at other things to fill your downtime – particularly hobbies that can be done in the home.

The popularity of shows such as ‘The Great British Bake Off’ has made baking a cool pastime. For those who take it seriously, purchases of blenders and food mixers will have gone through the roof, as well as new ovens, fridges and microwaves. The average kitchen carries a lot of electrical equipment…keen chefs and bakers won’t be happy using a clapped-out model. A workman is only as good as his tools, so they say.

Home cinema

When the likes of Cineworld and Vue closed their doors, many people rushed to upgrade their TV equipment to create their own home cinemas.

Netflix et al have been saviours to us all throughout the lockdown, and blockbuster programmes such as Tiger King, Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit, etc. have kept us enthralled over the past months.

Laptops and home office items

It’s not that remote working was created by the pandemic; however, the number of people working from their own home exploded with lockdown restrictions.

If you relied on the office printer and similar equipment before the pandemic took hold, you may have had to fork out for your own electrical items in order to do your work at home. Laptop and tablet sales have been strong for the same reasons…if you were forced to work on a remote basis, your employer may have had to purchase a mobile piece of tech for you.

Online shopping

The shops are practically all shut at the moment, which has seen us turn to e-commerce for all that we need. What better way to scroll through all those lovely digital shopping sites than with an upgraded mobile phone with more functionality than your previous model?

Keeping in touch

Mixing with anyone other than your immediate household, of course, has been banned in the majority of situations. Families have been forced to use technology to video call loved ones, which has also seen sales of mobile technological devices soar. Even the most tech-averse will have likely mastered Zoom (perhaps even to Jackie Weaver standards).

Being at home during the pandemic has meant more of most things for families: more washing, more cooking, more avenues of entertainment…the list goes on. There’s little wonder that sales of electrical items have seen such a boost.