UK Christmas and Black Friday Market Report 2025
Rising consumer confidence at the start of the golden quarter set the tone for a promising festive 2024, although ultimately it was a mixed period for retailers.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for Christmas 2025
- The consumer landscape for festive 2025
- A focus on quality over quantity means further opportunities for 2025
- A narrowing window for festive shopping means Black Friday needs a reshake
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Day-to-day financial confidence ticked up in Q4
- Graph 1: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- December sees a return to growth in volume
- Graph 2: all retail sales, excluding fuel, non-seasonally adjusted, 2019-24
- Online sales sees an uptick in December thanks to later-falling Black Friday
- Graph 3: all online sales, value non seasonally adjusted, year-on-year performance, 2024
- What consumers want and why
- Black Friday purchasing sees notable growth across categories
- Graph 4: types of products purchased during Black Friday, 2023 and 2024
- A need to make Black Friday shopping personalised
- Graph 5: Black Friday shopping behaviours, 2024
- Christmas gift giving is prioritised around children
- Graph 6: who gifts were given at Christmas, 2024
- In-store shopping holds steady year-on-year
- Graph 7: how Christmas gifts were purchased, 2021-24
- Most start their gift shopping in November and December
- Graph 8: when Christmas purchasing began, 2021-24
- Purchasing mixed across categories in 2024
- Graph 9: gifts given for Christmas, 2023-24
- Average spending on gifts stable in 2024
- Graph 10: average spending on Christmas gifts, 2019-24
- Exclusive loyalty scheme discounts a key reason to choose one retailer over another
- Graph 11: factors which would encourage shoppers to choose one retailer over another for Christmas gifts, 2024
- Christmas gift shopping must be family-friendly and social
- Graph 12: Christmas gift buying behaviours, 2024
- Retailer activity
- Retailers spotlight pet gifting in stores
- Festive pop-up engages shoppers through play
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market drivers
- Steady financial confidence paves the way for a promising Christmas 2024
- Graph 13: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- Confidence for the year ahead fluctuates as budget hits confidence in November
- Graph 14: the financial confidence index, 2016-25
- Confidence for the year ahead varies greatly when split by household income
- Graph 15: ‘I feel pretty confident that I’ll be ok’ in the coming year, December 2019-24
- Income growth to be hampered by continuing inflation
- Graph 16: CPI inflation rate and total pay growth rate, 2021-24
- Inflation persistent in key festive categories
- Graph 17: inflation, overall index (CPI) and core categories, 2024
- Retail sales performance
- December sees a return to volume growth
- Graph 18: all retail sales, excluding fuel, non-seasonally adjusted, 2019-24
- November sales impacted by later falling Black Friday
- Graph 19: all retail sales, excluding fuel, non-seasonally adjusted, 2024
- Demand for Christmas still holds up when adjusted for Black Friday
- Graph 20: all retail sales,excluding fuel, non-seasonally adjusted, November and December combined, 2019-24
- Most shoppers wait till Black Friday weekend
- Graph 21: behaviours relating to when shoppers bought Black Friday products, 2024
- December claims largest share of Q4 spending
- Graph 22: retail sales (excl fuel) in October-December as a percentage of total retail sales in the final quarter, 2019-24
- Strong performance across key categories in November and December
- Graph 23: key category performance in November and December combined, non-seasonally adjusted value and volume, 2024
- Retailer performance
- Analysing retailers’ reported Christmas results
- Retail sales by sector
- Retail by sector
- Grocers: boost in confidence fuels appeal of premium ranges
- Grocery: sector performance and reported retailer results
- Fashion: leading retailers hail successful Christmas despite challenging market
- Fashion: sector performance and reported retailer results
- Household goods: uptick in confidence helps spending on the home
- Household goods: sector performance and reported retailer results
- Health and beauty takes the lead as winning category this festive period
- Health and beauty: sector performance and reported retailer results
- Mixed goods: a good festive 2024 for specialists
- Mixed goods and miscellaneous specialists: sector performance and reported retailer results
- Channel performance: in-store and online
- Later-falling Black Friday distorts growth seen in December
- Graph 24: all online sales, value non seasonally adjusted, year-on-year performance, 2024
- Online penetration remains steady across November and December
- Graph 25: online share of all retail sales, Q4 2019-24
- Multichannel retailers continue to lead share online sales in Q4
- Graph 26: share of online sales, by type of retail operation, 2020-24
- Share of online grocery sales dips in December 2024
- Graph 27: all online store-based grocery sales, value non seasonally adjusted year-on-year performance and share of total sales, 2022-24
- Online performance across key categories mixed in Q4
- Graph 28: predominantly non-food retail category performance, non-seasonally adjusted year-on-year % change, 2024
- Stores capture the majority of non-food demand
- Graph 29: estimated share of non-food sales, store versus online and other non-store, 2022-24
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Products purchased for Black Friday 2024
- Black Friday engagement grows once more
- Higher earners drive Black Friday engagement
- Graph 30: Black Friday purchasing, across household income, 2023-24
- 16-34s lead Black Friday engagement as confident omnichannel shoppers
- Graph 31: engagement with Black Friday,by age group, 2024
- TikTok demonstrates the power of live-stream shopping to elevate Black Friday strategies
- Black Friday purchasing sees notable growth across categories in 2024
- Graph 32: types of products purchased during Black Friday, 2023 and 2024
- Retailers shopped with during Black Friday 2024
- Online-only retailers were the most popular type of retailer during Black Friday 2024
- Graph 33: type of retailer shopped with during Black Friday promotions, 2022-24
- Online-only retailers see boost in number of customers and transactions in Q4
- Graph 34: number of transactions within cohort, year-on-year % change, between October-December, 2024
- Graph 35: number of customers within cohort, year-on-year % change, between October-December, 2024
- Shein sees surge in number of customers and transactions in Q4 2024
- PrettyLittleThing makes headlines with 99% discount on dress for 20p
- Amazon remains the top retailer to shop with during Black Friday
- Graph 36: retailers shopped with during Black Friday promotions, 2023-24
- Retailers hails record Black Friday in 2024
- Black Friday shopping behaviours
- A need to make Black Friday shopping personalised
- 16-34s want a say in what products are discounted during Black Friday
- Graph 37: Black Friday shopping behaviours, by age group,2024
- ‘Like-new’ buying popular during Black Friday promotions
- Graph 38: Black Friday shopping behaviours, 2024
- Appeal for refurbished/second hand goods strong in electricals
- Graph 39: “I bought refurbished/second-hand products from a retailer during the Black Friday promotions”, by what they bought, 2024
- Retailers need to tackle persisting concerns around transparency
- Graph 40: consumers concerns and issues when shopping during Black Friday promotions, 2024
- Strike a balance between timely and too many Black Friday communications
- Who Christmas gifts were given to in 2024
- Almost nine in 10 gave Christmas gifts in 2024
- Children most likely to be gift recipients
- Graph 41: who gifts were given to at Christmas, 2024
- Most buy gifts for one or two people
- Graph 42: number of recipients gifts were bought for, 2023-24
- Number of gifts bought impacted by Secret Santa style schemes
- Graph 43: Christmas gift reduction behaviours, 2024
- Gift reducing prevalent across higher earners…
- Graph 44: gift reduction behaviours, by household income, 2024
- …and how this reflects a changing gifting focus amongst them
- How and when gifts were purchased in 2024
- In-store shopping for gifts holds steady year-on-year
- Graph 45: how Christmas gifts were purchased, 2021-24
- Debenhams scoffs at high-street Christmas shopping in festive advert
- Make Christmas gift shopping an ‘event’ to enjoy in store
- Graph 46: ‘I think making a day out of Christmas gift shopping with others helps to make it less stressful’, by age group and household income, 2024
- Create dedicated play areas in store for children
- Festive pop-ups helping to drive social shopping
- A majority have started their gift shopping ahead of December
- Graph 47: when Christmas purchasing began, 2021-24
- Find a balance of when to push sales for gift shoppers
- Graph 48: average spent on gifts by when shoppers started their Christmas gift shopping, 2023-24
- Over two thirds of Black Friday buyers bought Christmas gifts
- December claims biggest share of gift spending in 2024
- Graph 49: when the most was spent on Christmas gifts, 2021-24
- Gifts purchasing and spending in 2024
- Fashion and beauty the top gifting categories in 2024
- Purchasing mixed across categories in 2024
- Graph 50: gifts given for Christmas, 2023-24
- Higher earners shop from a wide repertoire of categories
- Graph 51: how many type of products they bought for Christmas, by household income, 2024
- Average spending on gifts stable in 2024
- Growth in average spend came from middle-income households
- Graph 52: average spend on Christmas gifts, by household income, 2022-24
- Important factors when shopping for gifts
- Exclusive loyalty scheme discounts a key reason to choose one retailer over another
- Logistical mistakes can cost retailers big
- Higher earners more likely to choose retailers with streamlined gifting services
- Graph 53: gifting drivers when choosing which retailer to shop with, by household income, 2024
- Highlight trending products in-store for young shoppers
- Streamline payments to elevate the shopping experience
- Christmas 2024 gift shopping behaviours
- A quarter gave a second-hand gift in 2024
- Those with younger children more likely to give second-hand gifts
- Luxury labels boost confidence in second-hand gifting
- Graph 54: “I think buying from a luxury brand makes it more acceptable to buy a gift second-hand”, by household income and age, 2024
- Crisis festive pop-up spotlights items from celebrity wardrobes
- Mystery boxes appeal to young Christmas shoppers
- Retailers tap into the mystery boxes trend
- Live stream shopping growing in popularity among younger shoppers
- Alibaba and TikTok to drive live streaming’s future in gift shopping
- Graph 55: year-on-year % growth in number of customers between October-December, 2024
- Graph 56: year-on-year % change of number of transaction between October-December, 2024
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RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Trends and innovations for Christmas 2024
- Festive pop-ups engage shoppers through play
- Blank Street launches first Christmas event with touring Gifting Grotto
- Sainsbury’s brings its Christmas advert to life
- John Lewis focuses on branded gifting stations from Quality Street and Tony’s
- Selfridges launches biggest Christmas shop to date
- Lidl launches rival Coca-Cola Christmas truck
- Small businesses get a shoutout
- TikTok teams up with Winter Wonderland for live shopping experience
- Pop-up store brings upcoming online brands to Soho
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Advertising spend for Q4 2024 increases 3.2%
- Graph 57: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising from all retailers in Q4, 2020-24
- Amazon takes the lead as top advertiser for third year in a row
- Graph 58: leading retailers spending on recorded above-the-line, online display advertising in Q4, 2022-24
- Most retailers direct majority of Q4 adverting spend in December
- Graph 59: total above-the-line, online and display advertising spend, by quarter as a percentage of total spend, 2024
- TV remains the top above-the-line channel
- Graph 60: recorded above-the-line, online display advertising expenditure by all retailers in Q4, by advertising method, 2022-24
- Tesco acknowledges the emotional hardships of Christmas
- Sainsbury’s recruits the BFG for its Christmas 2024
- John Lewis spotlights its stores
- Waitrose launches two-part mystery Christmas advert
- Greggs first Christmas advert features Nigella Lawson
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APPENDIX
- Data sources and financial definitions
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- TURF methodology
- TURF analysis of the attributes that would make shoppers chooses one retailer over another when Christmas gift shopping
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
UK Christmas and Black Friday Market Analysis
The UK retail market showed moderate growth in the lead-up to Christmas 2024, with over a 5% increase in both volume and value during December, influenced by the shift of Black Friday into the month. Overall, sales grew by around 2% in value and volume during the November-December period.
Historical data reveals slower growth since 2019, with fluctuations linked to financial confidence and inflation. Looking ahead, the UK Christmas and Black Friday Market is expected to recover further, driven by middle-income households as disposable income improves. Retailers should focus on value-driven offerings and adjust promotional periods to manage Black Friday Market fatigue and capitalize on the Christmas market trends.
UK Christmas and Black Friday Market Consumer Trends
Consumer trends for Christmas 2024 reflected polarized demand, with many opting for “fewer but better” gifts, prioritizing quality over quantity. The appeal of second-hand and refurbished products prevailed, with a quarter of buyers choosing these options. Black Friday became a key shopping event, with over half of the consumers purchasing gifts during this period. Shoppers expressed strong demand for personalized experiences, such as exclusive offers for loyalty members. Additionally, almost half of shoppers found gift shopping more enjoyable when done in groups, highlighting the importance of family-friendly experiences during the Christmas and Black Friday Market.
Purchasing the full report provides valuable insights into consumer behaviour, emerging retail trends, and market dynamics, helping you refine your strategy and stay ahead in the competitive UK Christmas and Black Friday Market during the holiday season.
About The Report
This UK Christmas and Black Friday Market Report offers comprehensive insights into the UK retail landscape during the 2024 festive season, analysing key consumer behaviours, spending patterns, and emerging trends. It covers areas such as gift purchasing trends, the Black Friday’s impact on Christmas spending, consumer preferences for value-driven and sustainable products, and shifts in shopping channels (in-store vs online). The research also examines financial well-being and its influence on spending. Retailers, marketers, and industry analysts will benefit from this report, as it equips them with the knowledge to adapt strategies, optimize product offerings, and enhance customer engagement in an evolving Christmas and Black Friday market.
Key Topics Analysed in the Report
- A detailed look at retail sales in the final months of 2024, including retailer and channel performance.
- An overview of gift purchasing for Christmas 2024, including who gifts were bought for and how much was spent on average.
- How Christmas gifts were purchased, including standout activations by retailers, and what lessons to carry forward to 2025.
- Key purchasing factors when deciding where to buy Christmas gifts and what retailers should focus on in their gifting mix looking ahead.
- Exploring ways to reimagine Black Friday strategies to combat consumer discount fatigue and its impact on Christmas spending.
- An insight into how the gift reduction trend will change shape in 2025, alongside improving consumer finances.
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | February 2025 |
| Data Range | 2019-2029 |
| Measurement Metrics | Revenue in £ |
| Country Focus | United Kingdom (UK) |
| Consumer Data | 2,000 internet users aged 16+, November 2024 |
| Number of Pages | 110 |
| Market Segmentation | Clothing, footwear, beauty and personal care products, toys, household electrical appliances, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, gaming consoles, jewellery, watches, food and drink, homewares, and gifts such as gift cards, cash, and experiences. |
| Leading Companies | John Lewis, Morrisons, Aldi, Jo Malone London, Boots, M&S, Seasalt, and Waitrose |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Emily Viberg. Emily is a Retail analyst specialising in writing Mintel’s seasonal shopping and gifting reports.
Christmas 2024 brought festive cheer with a focus on value. Improving finances
for more consumers signals a brighter outlook for 2025.
Emily Viberg
Retail analyst
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