BOUNCE IN SALES: John Lewis advert of trampolining dog gives boost to pet presents
HIS year’s John Lewis advert featuring Buster the Boxer playing on a trampoline looks to have given an unexpected bounce in sales of presents for our four-legged friends.
John Lewis Christmas advert starring Buster the Boxer
The annual festive ad from the high street retailer stars the cute dog having fun on a trampoline which is meant to be a Christmas present for a little girl called Bridget.
The ad, which cost in the region of £1 million, tells the story surrounding the dog and his suburban family who buy a trampoline for their daughter, all to the soundtrack of ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’.
But it also appears that the two-minute ad that has already become a hit online has had a spin-off effect on the sales of pet presents and toys.
A spokeswoman for John Lewis told Express.co.uk that the ad had already been watched 17.3 million times on its social media sites, an increase of five million compared to the store's Facebook page last year.
Animals play on the trampoline in the John Lewis advert
Buster the Boxer, the star of the John Lewis Christmas advert
A spokeswoman for Pets at Home told Express.co.uk that while it was still early days to collate exact sales figures a number of products had seen a sharp spike in sales.
Most popular had been a dog stocking which had seen sales rise by a sizeable 350 percent, compared with the day before.
Not far behind was a festive reindeer dog harness and antler set which had seen sales rise by 322 per cent, so far.
Pets at Home Cat Candy Cane Holly Teaser
Dog Pudding Ball from Pets at Home
Reindeer Dog Harness and Antler set available for dog lovers
Pets at Home's Dog Stocking
Also proving popular with pet owners wanting to give their furry friend a happy Christmas was a dog pudding ball, with sales rising 130 percent.
Proving popular with feline pet owners was the cat candy cane holly teaser with the store seeing demand rise 120 percent.
Marketing director Scott Jefferson said: "While we’re not sure we would ever sell a trampoline for dogs, we have seen a huge surge in people searching for fun gifts following the launch of the Buster the Boxer advert this morning.
The John Lewis Christmas advert features 'Bridget'
"We have a huge variety of Christmas gifts for all pets and we hope that if anything, the John Lewis advert has encouraged owners to treat their pets this holiday season, after all, they are part of the family."
A spokeswoman for John Lewis told Express.co.uk that all products related to the advert had benefitted from an increase in sales, in particular, trampolines but that it was too early to release any figures.