Brands and sellers should prepare for the ‘December detox’ that’s set to sweep the nation this weekend, as partied-out Brits make an early switch from celebrating to self-improvement – with men leading the charge.
New insights from ebay.co.uk reveal that, last year, 11th December marked the beginning of a health and fitness frenzy, with searches for ‘dumbbell’ rising by a quarter (26%) and ‘treadmill’ increasing by a fifth (20%) overnight. On the same day, searches for ‘protein’ and ‘spiraliser’ both rose by a quarter (24%), as many shoppers sought sanctuary from their hangovers and embarked on their New Year’s resolutions early.
The sudden desire to diet was most pronounced amongst male shoppers, who made 26% and 21% more searches overnight for ‘healthy’ and ‘clean eating’, respectively – compared to the 18% and 10% increase displayed by their female counterparts. Meanwhile, men kitted out their kitchens by making 38% more searches for ‘juicer’ and 16% more searches for ‘nutribullet’ than women throughout December on ebay.co.uk.
And eBay’s data reveals that men aren’t just turning to nutrition to re-set their bodies in the run up to Christmas. Men made a third (32%) more searches for ‘spa’ than women last December – also searching for ‘face mask’ every minute and ‘massage’ every three minutes that month.
Although party spirits are still high – eBay recorded the month’s largest number of searches for ‘party’ (24 per minute) and ‘Christmas jumper’ (83 per minute) on 4th December last year – it’ll come as a surprise that detoxing arrives in such quick succession.
Lorna Dunne, Head of UK Trading – Lifestyle and Health at eBay, commented: “The January detox has long been recognised as an excellent opportunity for brands to engage with health-conscious shoppers looking to make amends after a frivolous festive season. But, with the early Christmas party peak prompting many shoppers to swap wine for weights this December, our data suggests that this window of opportunity begins earlier than many assume. Sellers are advised to ensure they have the right inventory in stock – both health- and Christmas-related – long before the traditional peaks in interest. Meanwhile brands should bake consumer insights into their campaign strategies to ensure they’re reaching the right people, with the right messages, at the right time.”