Comment: Retail trends that are not just for Christmas

The post-mortem on Christmas 2013 will continue in earnest for some time. But the concentrated nature of the festive trading period amplifies consumer trends like no other and there are already telling lessons to be drawn for the year ahead.

The make or break nature of December’s retailing ensures there are always winners and losers at this time of year. Yet the most striking aspect of 2013 is the polarised narrative to have come out of data already at hand.

In general, the recovery seen in manufacturing to the service industries is yet to be reflected in retail. The latest figures from BDO showed high street sales fell 2.2% in December, much to the disappointment of those who had hoped Christmas 2013 would mark a change in fortunes.

As cautious retail chiefs have been at pains to point out, consumers remain as short of cash in their pockets now as at any time since the economic crisis began. Fears of unemployment may be receding and better times may be ahead, but there simply isn’t the disposable income to trigger a pan-retail revival yet.

But talk of generalities has never been more misleading for the sector, which has so far boasted as many triumphs as it has struggles.

Those that foretold and prepared for an online, and in particular mobile, Christmas have been vindicated. With online retail sales breaking the £10bn barrier in November alone, this year marked a step change in the importance of a strong multichannel offer.

However, while the online/offline battle captures the imagination, as retailers reflect, it may well be discounting and the discounters that attract the most attention. In grocery, the march of Aldi and Lidl continues unabated, although tellingly they fought this campaign by targeting hearts as well as minds, focusing not only on price but on product and marketing too.

Meanwhile, in fashion and general merchandise, as the story of Christmas unfolded, so too did a sea of Sale signs as consumers waited later than ever before being tempted into stores. That discount culture is undoubtedly embedded and its new champion, Black Friday, is here to stay. Yet some of the sector’s most notable successes eschewed the heavy price cuts. In an environment where price alone rarely offered a competitive advantage, it has been those retailers willing and able to put faith in a product offer and brand proposition that have stood out. Understanding how is the gift worth getting in 2014.