What Shoppers Are Buying This Christmas In Retail
The post What Shoppers Are Buying This Christmas In Retail appeared com. Christmas shoppers are looking for warmth, nostalgia and value for money in 2025 getty Retailers heading into the holidays are preparing for a 2025 Christmas retail season that’s disciplined rather than decadent. VoucherCodes/GlobalData forecasts roughly £91 billion in total festive spending in the UK. While consumers still plan to celebrate, it’s clear they plan on thinking harder about where every pound goes. Clearpay’s Festive Insights Wrapped report shows how deliberate that behavior has become: three quarters of shoppers intend to keep their total holiday budget under £800. Christmas is still on; it’s just being recut, with fewer impulse buys and more deliberate choices. And as budgets tighten, it’s quietly changing what sells, how people shop, and which brands end up at the top of their lists. The Money Mood: Cautious But Committed When you look at the data, a clear picture of caution emerges. For festive spending in 2025, gifting is projected to reach around £11. 6 billion, while food and drink is forecast at about £8. 4 billion-both increases from 2024 (VoucherCodes/GlobalData). But much of that increase reflects higher prices rather than more volume, as 37% of households are buying fewer, better things (Clearpay). The emphasis is on preserving core traditions and a few meaningful treats, even if the basket is smaller. To do this, shoppers are using time as a financial tool. Clearpay’s survey of more than 2, 200 adults suggests roughly a third of Britons plan to do the bulk of their buying in October, and more than three-quarters expect to be finished by the end of November. By spreading purchases across more pay cycles, they hope to avoid one painful December bill. What Sells When Every Pound Counts When money is tight, the product mix shifts rather than collapses. Jen Pollard, senior analyst at ecommerce platform Visualsoft, highlights three. Continue reading What Shoppers Are Buying This Christmas In Retail
