Brits will spend £200 billion on Black Friday and Christmas, Future plc data finds
Future plc has released findings on predicted consumer shopping trends and expenditure for Black Friday and Christmas 2021, following its post-lockdown purchasing analysis in March and June 2021.
The research is based on a survey in September 2021 of 2,000 UK respondents – all recruited independently via Future plc’s research platform The Lens.
Key findings include:
Spending habits
- With nearly GBP £200bn in accumulated lockdown savings, 78 per cent of consumers plan to splash the cash on Black Friday purchases and Christmas gifts
- The majority of these savings are still in the wallets / bank, as people only spent small proportions of their savings between June and September (between one and 20 per cent, or between 21 per cent and 40 per cent). On top of this, more savers say that they will spend this money now for Christmas and/or Black Friday than early in the year (78 per cent vs 74 per cent in June)
- Compared to last year, people are now less likely to be unsure about their Christmas budgets – 69 per cent will have the same or more money for Christmas, and 57 per cent for Black Friday
- 41 per cent of respondents say that Black Friday shopping will be their main way of sourcing gifts for Christmas
Advertising
- 79 per cent say they’d like to see Christmas ads earlier or around the same time as usual
- 43 per cent of respondents think Christmas ads should be focused on getting the family together either remotely or in-person
- 34 per cent think Christmas ads should be an all-out celebration
- 30 per cent think Christmas ads should give us practical tips and useful information which can help with planning and preparations
Zack Sullivan, Chief Revenue Officer, UK at Future plc said: “Future has studied and tracked the impacts on consumer behaviour over the past 18 months to react quickly to changing demands. With Future readers accounting for approximately GBP £101 billion of the estimated GBP £198 billion saved by UK consumers, our already proven content commerce model puts us in a prime position to deliver significant value for advertisers this holiday season.
“Over half of consumers (55 per cent) say they will make Christmas the biggest celebration yet and a huge majority (82 per cent) are expected to put their savings towards Black Friday and Christmas. As consumers begin to plan their purchasing decisions, it is imperative for advertisers to get ahead by starting their planning now and engaging with their audiences.”
