Betsy Vickery co founder of Hope and Story

Over 60% of consumers believe that members of the British public should ‘shop local' to aid economic recovery, according to new research by online marketplace, Hope and Story.

The research, which surveyed 1,000 consumers on how their shopping habits have changed over the last 12 - 18 months, also revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired over 56% of consumers to proactively support British businesses - with a further 43% revealing they now proactively search for ‘local' or British brands when shopping online or on the high street.

However, despite a clear drive to shop local, 46% of consumers revealed that they find it challenging to source products that are genuinely British made, with 61% confirming they would be annoyed if they had purchased a product from a brand that they believed to be British made, to later found out it wasn't.

Other key take outs from the research include:

• 46% of consumers proactively look to purchase from businesses that are sustainable and have clear brand ethics and values.
• Over half [51%] consider themselves to be conscious consumers.
• 41% automatically associate 100% made British brands with higher quality products.
• 55% of consumers deem quality the most important thing when purchasing lifestyle products, with nearly one third [29%] opting for product longevity and over one quarter [26%] opting for sustainable materials and packaging.

This research comes as Hope and Story unveils its new eCommerce marketplace, curated by three female entrepreneurs to showcase the best of British brands and independent makers.

Originally inspired during spring 2020 when co-founder, Betsy Vickery, spent weeks searching online for 100% British-made gifts for her 7-year-old daughter's birthday, it became clear that there was no e-Commerce marketplace that championed ethical, sustainable, and truly British brands.

Determined to make meaningful change and fly the flag for up-and-coming British brands and independent makers with a limited digital presence - and equally limited income during periods of high-street closures - Betsy and Hope and Story co-founders, Alison Larnder and Lizzy Waterhouse, set to work in developing the virtual British-made marketplace.

Betsy explained: "During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic it became increasingly clear that millions of independent British brands were losing significant amounts of revenue due to high street closures, just as large and global online marketplaces were able to profiteer from being able to fulfil consumer demand - and quickly.

However, it's clear from our research that not only have consumers been more inspired to shop local and shop British since the outbreak of the pandemic, but that consumers associate 100% British made goods with increased product quality.

Therefore, in developing the concept for Hope and Story, Alison, Lizzy and I were committed to curating an online marketplace that both championed and showcased the best of British brands, whilst providing consumers with an enjoyable, online shopping experience. We are incredibly proud to launch Hope and Story and to already be working with over 100 British partners across 12 plus lifestyle product categories. Watch this space."

With a clear vision to become the ‘go to' online marketplace for British made brands, all products listed via the Hope and Story site are united in the same standard of quality to appeal to conscious consumers dedicated to shopping local, shopping sustainable and shopping British, with leading brands including Georgie Murton, Studio Arcform, Samuel Groves and Gungho to name a few.

For more information, please visit:   Hope and Story. [1]