The Rise of the Vampire Shopper: What People Buy in the Dead of the Night

Argos has seen a rise in the number of ‘Vampire Shoppers’ - people who take to Argos.co.uk and the Argos app in the dead of night to buy products - and they’re buying more than ever before.

 The average Vampire Shopper - most active between 1am and 6am - buys 20 per cent more products than the average Argos daytime shopper, and night-time visitors are spending big, filling their baskets with 27 per cent more than they did six months ago.

 Tired parents and nocturnal gamers among those leading the nighttime charge.

 In 2018, while family-friendly titles such as Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe prospered in the daylight hours, they disappeared from the night-time shopping list as gamers sought out all things cars, football and action. 

Top 10 Games bought between 1am-6am in 2018:

1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
2. God of War (PS4)
3. Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4)
4. PS4 Slim Console
5. FIFA 19 (PS4)
6. Nintendo Switch Console
7. Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (PS4)
8. DualShock 4 Wireless Controller
9. Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)
10. PS VR V2

Sleep-deprived parents have also been pushing through the witching hour to spend their hard-earned cash on kid’s toys and products. Batteries see an 88 per cent sales uplift between 1am and 6am as parents remember things they’ve forgotten in the day. Pillows also see a big increase in the night as people become dissatisfied with their sleep set-up. Last summer, during the heatwave, fans made up the top-selling four items as customers desperately tried to cool down.

 The cycle of waking up and feeding is something that impacts not only on parents’ sleeping patterns, but also their online shop. LED night lights, baby video monitors and steam sterilizer sets see an increase in sales at night, as do inexpensive toys that can distract and amuse the children.

Top 10 products bought between 1am-6am in 2018:

1. LOL Surprise Dolls
2. Poopsie Unicorn Slime Surprise
3. Batteries
4. Pillows
5. Pushchairs
6. Sony PS4
7. Steamer Steriliser Set
8. Baby video monitor
9. Simple Value White Desk Fan
10. Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

Manchester, Nottingham and Belfast are the cities where people are most inclined to shop at night. In Manchester alone, the average city-dweller shops at night more than three times a year.

Top 10 locations for Vampire Shopping:

1. Manchester
2. Nottingham
3. Belfast
4. Cambridge
5. Cotswolds
6. Newcastle
7. Birmingham
8. Norwich
9. Portsmouth
10. Cardiff

An Argos spokesperson said: “It’s no surprise that customers have taken to the calm quiet of late-night shopping – the prevalence of tablet and smartphones at bedtime mean customers are shopping at a time convenient to them in ever greater numbers.

 “Gamers appear to be the most likely group to stay up late and shop, but sleep-deprived parents also log on in the dead of night to stock up on baby goods. The reign of the Vampire Shopper is one we can’t see ending anytime soon!”