Selfie sticks, coloured jeans and cake pops are falling out of fashion, but wooden toys are making a comeback. Photo / Chris Gorman
Selfie sticks, coloured jeans and cake pops are falling out of fashion, but wooden toys are making a comeback. Photo / Chris Gorman
A report by John Lewis into the shopping habits of British consumers over the past five years provides insight into the trends we've left behind, and the products that have made a comeback in 2017.
Selfie sticks, the camera extension devices found in the hands of tourists' across the world, soared in popularity in 2014 when they were seen as the must-have gift for Christmas.
Authorities in Milan hate the device so much that this summer they banned the use of selfie sticks in the middle of the city in a bid to "curb anti-social behaviour". Thankfully - they fell out of favour with shoppers last year.
Here are four other items we've ditched over the years. And five that we've fallen back in love with.
The popularity of coloured jeans peaked in the early Noughties, but sales have fallen significantly since 2013, according to John Lewis's internal data.
Fashionistas have ditched jeans in colours such as pink, green, yellow and red, and instead have reverted to the old classic - blue denim. Photo / 123RF
Fashionistas have ditched jeans in colours such as pink, green, yellow and red, and instead have reverted to the old classic - blue denim.
Although white jeans are still in fashion, apparently.
After decades of discomfort, women are no longer buying thongs - with sales plummeting in 2015.
In the early Noughties, thongs accounted for 31 per cent of the women's underwear market, but today, sales are hanging on by a thread.
Figures from M&S last year revealed that thongs accounted for fewer than one in 10 pairs of knickers sold (and the retailer sells upwards of 60 million a year).
Cake pops
Bite-sized baked goods soared in popularity between 2011-14, but have since fallen out of favour. Photo / 123RF
Bite-sized baked goods soared in popularity between 2011-14, with sales growing 19 per cent, overtaking those of large cakes.
Doughnuts, cake pops, muffins and macaroons, were all the rage with British consumers, and had a market value of £492 million ($915.5m).
But in 2014, British shoppers left pop cakes behind, with sales of the mini sweet treats falling drastically.
Sat Navs
This year British shoppers turned their backs on Sat Navs, with more drivers opting to use their mobile phones for directions.
Sales of the devices have dropped so much that John Lewis has removed them from its shelves, and is choosing to sell them online only.
Despite a clampdown on motorists using their phones while driving, the law permits the use of a mobile phone as a Sat Nav as long as the route is programmed before starting the car.
Given that Sat Navs typically retail for more than £100, and the majority of people own a smartphone, it's easy to see why people are choosing to rely on the latter for help in getting to their destination.
...and the items that are back in fashion
Bookshelves
Every now and again, something that was falling out of fashion in the past will take on a new lease of life.
According to John Lewis, one of 2017's "boomerang products" is bookcases.
While in 2015 there was a decline in sales of bookcases, with shoppers favouring their shiny new eReaders, this year books are back, and so are sales of bookshelves used to display pretty coffee table books and other objets d'art.
Rubik's Cube
This year, the classic Rubik's Cube puzzle has returned to challenge a new generation, with sales 61 per cent higher than last year, according to John Lewis.
A showman called 'RuboCubo' last year displayed how he can solve three Rubik's Cubes in under 20 seconds - while juggling them.
Wooden toys are back, as nostalgic parents look to recapture some of the magic of playing with a doll's house or building blocks.
John Lewis revealed that 52pc of all toys sold in store and online are crafted from wood, with more parents trying to shift their children's attention from the screen to old school toys.
Record players
Record players have had a resurgence. Photo / 123RF
In 2015, the UK experienced a vinyl revival, which is still gaining momentum as music fans continue to jump on the trend.
At the end of 2016, it was widely reported that vinyl album sales had surpassed digital downloads for the first time ever.
Yet, according to a BBC/ICM poll from last year, 41 per cent of people who buy vinyl have a turntable but do not use it, with 7 per cent of vinyl buyers not even owning a turntable.
Not everyone wants to use their phone to store birthdays, addresses and important notes, which goes some way in explaining the 11 per cent increase in sales of this eighties classic - the Filofax.
Fans of Filofaxes say the reason they use them is simple. They are easy to use and don't ever run out of battery life.
