Christmas shoppers will spend £88.29 billion this year – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

Christmas spending is set to hit £88.29bn this year as consumers boost spending on festive celebrations after years of Christmas cutbacks.

VoucherCodes.co.uk’s Shopping for Christmas Report 2024 forecasts a 4% boost in sales this festive season, with consumers spending on gifts, food and drink, and holiday travel. Whilst this rise comes partly from inflation, it’s also driven by a 1.4% rise in sales volume year-on-year, as consumers have more money in their pockets to buy more items.

Whereas other European nations will see a decline in spend YoY, the UK is the only nation out of seven analysed to see a healthy boost in festive sales. France and Italy are forecast to see sales fall by as much as 1.1% and 1.3% respectively. Only Spain (-0.1%) and the Netherlands (-0.1%) will stay relatively flat.

Spending by category

Closer to home, almost all retail categories are expected to see a rise in spend this Christmas. With the highest total spend, gifts will account for £11.35bn of sales – a 0.8% YoY rise on the £11.25bn spent last year. However, holiday travel will see the biggest YoY rise at 6.4%, that’s a jump from £2.18bn to £2.32bn. Food and drink will also see a large uplift at 5.1% YoY, with sales hitting £8.07bn.

Decorations is the only category to see a fall in spend this year, with sales falling -4.3% from £0.66bn to £0.63bn as consumers prioritise spending on family celebrations.

Online vs. offline spend

The report also shows both online and offline sales are set to grow this year, with offline sales hitting £55.81bn (+3.4%), and online sales growing at a faster rate to £32.48bn (+5.1%). Whilst consumers are choosing the convenience of online shopping when it comes to gift buying, in-store shopping is still the preference for other categories such as food and drink.

Looking at online spend more closely, for the second year smartphone sales will exceed desktop sales at £13.51bn versus £12.24bn. As brands increasingly invest in their apps and promote products via social media, it’s becoming easier and more convenient for consumers to shop on the go.

Michael Brandy, Senior Commercial Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, said, “It’s set to be a very Merry Christmas for retailers this year. Almost all areas of retail are forecast to see uplifts over the Christmas period, consumers are finally willing and able to splurge and treat themselves and their family to a big festive celebration.

“Although consumers have more money in their bank accounts to spend this Christmas, they’re still looking for ways to stretch their budget. After two years of a cost of living crisis, consumers are much more financially savvy and know when they see a good deal. To convince them to part with their hard-earned cash, retailers will have to offer genuine value and should consider deals and discounts as a way to entice customers to spend.”