The shopping fads of 2016 - where all your money went

Shopping fads of 2016
Shopping fads of 2016



Amazon.co.uk has put together its list of best-sellers in every month of 2016 - shining a light on some of the most bizarre and pointless fashions of the year. So did you get sucked in by any of them?

See also: Number of shoppers at Boxing Day sales down by 6.7%

See also: Three in 10 expect to be in debt after Christmas, study finds


It will come as absolutely no surprise that January was the month when we all decided to get healthy. Book and DVD sales soared, and healthy eating guides topped the bestseller lists. The best-selling books of January 2016 included Joe Wicks with his 'Lean in 15' and Ella Woodward with 'Ella Everyday'. Our workout DVDs of choice were Davina: 5 Week Fit and Charlotte Crosby's 3 Minute Belly Blitz.

In February, the daft celebrity craze was the sheet face mask (from Korea) - which celebrities from Justin Bieber to Lady Gaga and Adele had been photographed wearing. Sales of the masks shot up 900%.

In March, spider season saw a video of the inventor of the Spider Catcher go viral. Naturally, we were entirely unaffected by a blatant marketing move - except for the fact that sales of the contraption rose 232%.

In April, with the horrors of summer fashions looming, we forked out a fortune on fitness outfits - and sales were up 147%.

In May, Euro 2016 brought out the inner child in a nation of football fans, and the Panini Official UEFA Euro 2016 sticker album was a must-have. The stickers themselves shot to the top of the toy best-seller list in the run-up to the tournament.

In June possibly the daftest of all the celebrity-inspired trends kicked off. As celebs hit Instagram with a range of ridiculous inflatables, we couldn't get enough of everything from rainbow unicorns to swan shaped drinks holders. Sales were up 540%.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child - Book Launch - London
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child - Book Launch - London



It will come as a shock to nobody that July's release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child dominated selling trends that month. It became the most pre-ordered book of the year and shot straight to number 1 on release.

In August Rosé wine had a comeback. Four out of the five wine bestsellers on the site were pink - and sales were up 530%. Naturally celebs played their part here too. The top five best sellers included Chateau Miraval - owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

In September, we took a small break from conspicuous consumption, so Amazon took the opportunity to highlight a spike in sales of Roald Dahl's books, to mark what would have been the author's 100th birthday. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was his best-selling book, followed by The BFG and George's Marvellous Medicine.

In October, unsurprisingly, Halloween costumes were the major trend. Perhaps more surprisingly, Halloween costumes for your dog were the big hit. This year apparently lion mane costumes for your dog were all the rage - with sales up 17,600%. Wizard costumes for pets were also up 700% and Bat dog costumes up 450%.

In November, we discovered a new and fashionable way to lie around under a blanket - claiming it to be the Danish art of Hygge. The Little Book of Hygge hit the top of the bestseller lists, and mermaids tail blankets became one of the bestsellers of the year in the homes department.

In December, we went crazy for Christmas gifts. The music winner was Now That's What I call Music 95, the Christmas book honours were shared between parody book 'Five on Brexit Island' and Jamie Oliver's Christmas, and the most popular DVD was The Secret Life of Pets.

Other bestsellers were the Fire TV stick and Amazon Echo Dot, as well as GHD hair straighteners, Elf on the Shelf, and the Hasbro Speak Out game.

So what do you think? Did you fall for the fads and fashions of the year - or did you pick and choose from the classics?





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