Sign of the times: Smart speakers in and crockery out of UK inflation goods basket
Bluetooth speakers, flavoured tea and washing gel have been added to the “basket of goods” used to calculate inflation in the UK, while crockery sets and hi-fi systems have been shelved.
Read more: Inflation drops to two-year low of 1.8 per cent
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) outlined changes this morning to the list of goods used to measure price inflation in Britain to better reflect modern consumers’ high-tech habits.
Smart speakers such as Google Home and Amazon Echo make it on to the list, squeezing out hi-fi systems, their antiquated ancestors.
New technology such as instant messaging seals the fate of envelopes, which are removed, while changing tastes see peanut butter and popcorn added to the list.
Here is how the basket of goods and services has changed over the last 10 years.
| IN | OUT | |
| 2019 | Smart speaker, flavoured tea, popcorn | Crockery set, washing powder, envelope |
| 2018 | Quiche, women’s exercise leggings, prepared mash potato | Digital camcorder, pork pie, Edam cheese |
| 2017 | Gin, cycle helmet, flavoured water | Mobile phone handset, menthol cigarettes, fee for stopping a cheque |
| 2016 | Microwave rice, coffee pods, computer game download |
Cooked sliced turkey, rewritable DVD, CD-rom |
| 2015 | Music streaming subscription, protein powder, e-cigarette | Satellite navigation system, oven-ready meat joint, frozen pizza |
| 2014 | Fruit snacking pot, flavoured milk, plant food | DVD recorder, wallpaper paste, gardeners' fee |
| 2013 | Spreadable butter, e-book, vegetable stir fry | Freeview box, gas BBQ, champagne |
| 2012 | Tablet computer, TV license, pineapple | Cable TV subscription, boiled sweets, step ladder |
| 2011 | Mobile phone app, flat screen TV, dating agency fee | Pork shoulder, four pack of lager, spectacle frames |
| 2010 | Blu-ray disc player, garlic bread, hair straighteners | Disposable camera, bar of soap, baby food |
The simple dinner plate replaces crockery sets as Brits buy more standalone items. Bakeware has been added to reflect a higher spend in recent years, likely influenced by TV cookery shows like the Great British Bake Off, the ONS said.
The ONS collects 180,000 separate price quotations every month, covering around 700 representative consumer goods in 140 locations across the UK to help reach its figure for the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation.
ONS senior statistician Philip Gooding said: “We want to reflect modern spending habits, and the alterations we have made highlight shifting consumer behaviour, whether that is in technology, the home or the way we communicate with one another.
Read more: UK inflation falls close to a two-year low
“It is important to remember that we change a small percentage of the overall basket. This year we’ve added 16 items, removed 10 and modified 16, while leaving 688 unchanged”, he said.