We are in a new age of shopping, controlled by the ultra-flexible, ultra-confident 'Master Shopper'.
So concludes the third annual John Lewis Retail Report, a comprehensive review of Britain's shopping habits this year, which confirms that Britons are taking control of the omnichannel shopping environment. They are using a combination of many research, browsing, purchase and collection methods that ensure they get what they want, in the way that they want it - a new form of bespoke shopping.

This confident new 'Master Shopper' moves seamlessly between their phone, tablet or PC, store or call centre to zero in on their purchase. John Lewis says that is evidenced by the proportion of traffic to johnlewis.com from mobiles increasing to 60%, and mobile revenue growing by a whopping 68% over the last year.

In this age of the ultra-personalised shopping journey, customers move between online and in-store shopping at their whim. Two-thirds of John Lewis customers use both physical shops and online channels, and the number who bought from both channels increased by 9%.

The report says that today's customer is more savvy and empowered than ever, with powerful research tools, extensive options and engaging experiences at their fingertips. Master Shoppers choose how to buy, what time of day or night to buy and how often they visit websites and shops.

And a trip to the shops remains a key part of the journey, particularly when it comes to touching, tasting and trying before they buy. While shops still serve a 'need it, buy it' purpose, they are increasingly linked to leisure time. An element of pleasure, inspiration and surprise has returned to the art of shopping.

Social shopping has also seen a marked increase this year. Customers are using social channels for inspiration on what to buy, engaging with their friends and the John Lewis website to research and gather information, which is fuelling significant growth in the retailer's social platforms.

Since last year, John Lewis' Instagram channel has grown by 338%, with Pinterest and Twitter also up by 68% each. However, Facebook remains the most popular, with almost 1m followers to date.

Said John Lewis managing director Andy Street: "Our shops are changing to become more inspirational and multi-purpose than ever before. We're helping facilitate our customers' ability to shop anytime, and anywhere, and to make their user journey the most flexible it has ever been. Shopping today is less about 'I need it now' and more about 'I need it flexibly, when I want'."