Retail Occasions Series: UK Christmas 2025

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

KEY FINDINGS

• Summary of Christmas 2025

Key Findings

• Christmas shoppers seek value for money this festive season
• Early festive launches lose impact as Christmas shoppers delay purchases
• Tesco extends grocery leadership into gifting and festive items this Christmas
• Trend insight - stores
• Trend insight - online

CONSUMER ATTITUDES

• Buying dynamics
• Financial wellbeing
• Christmas spending
• Financial spending
• Christmas statements
• Retailer selection
• Retailer ratings - grocers
• Retailer ratings - non-food retailers
• Retailer drivers by category
• Online dynamics
• Gift guides
• Christmas stockings
• Secret Santa
• Christmas returns
• Secondhand Christmas items
• Social media purchases

SEASONAL FOOD & DRINK

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer selection
• Retailer switching
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Spending
• Buying dynamics
• Planned/impulse

GIFTING

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Spending
• Buying dynamics
• Planned/impulse
• Personalisation
• Secondhand gifts
• Regifting

FESTIVE ITEMS

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Spending
• Items with glitter
• Category penetration
• Planned/impulse
• Personalisation

ITEMS FOR THE HOME

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Spending
• Buying dynamics
• Planned/impulse

METHODOLOGY

• Technical details: consumer survey work
• Technical details: Definitions

List of Table

List of Tables

• Retailer ratings across key measures - grocers, 2025
• Retailer ratings across key measures - non-food retailers, 2025
• Number of gift guides browsed, 2025
• Retailers used - online gift guides, 2025
• Christmas gift categories consumers plan to return, 2024 & 2025
• Products purchased secondhand by Christmas shoppers (%), 2025
• Social media platforms leading to purchase, 2024 & 2025
• Social media platforms leading to gift requests, 2024 & 2025
• Percentage point change - retailer shopped at for seasonal food & drink (2024-2025)
• Percentage point change - retailer most shopped at for seasonal food & drink (2024-2025)
• Percentage point change - retailer consumers switched to for seasonal food & drink (2024-2025)
• Items purchased - Christmas sweet Items, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - Christmas savoury Items, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - meat, fish and free from alternatives, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - fruit & vegetables, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - alcoholic beverages, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - frozen foods, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - non-alcoholic beverages, 2025
• Categories bought on impulse - seasonal food & drink, 2024 & 2025
• Percentage point change - retailer shopped at for gifts (2024-2025)
• Items purchased - clothing & accessories, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - clothing & accessories, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - food gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - food gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - health & beauty, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - health & beauty, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - drink gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - drink gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - footwear, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - footwear, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - toys & games, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - toys & games, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - books, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - books, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - homewares, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - homewares, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - money, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - vouchers & gift cards, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - stationery, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - stationery, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - electricals, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - electricals, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - music & video, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - music & video, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - leather goods, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - leather goods, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - experiences, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - fine jewellery and watches, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - fine jewellery and watches, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - sports, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - sports, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - computers, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - computers, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - garden items, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - garden items, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - DIY, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - DIY, 2024 & 2025
• Categories bought on impulse - gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Categories personalised - gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Categories purchased - secondhand gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Categories regifted, 2024 & 2025
• Percentage point change - retailer shopped at for festive items (2024-2025)
• Items purchased - Christmas wrapping & cards, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - Christmas wrapping & cards, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - Christmas trees & decorations, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - Christmas trees & decorations, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - festive home Items, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - festive home Items, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - Christmas advent calendars, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - Christmas crackers, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - Christmas partywear, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - Christmas partywear, 2024 & 2025
• Categories bought on impulse - festive items, 2024 & 2025
• Category personalised - festive items, 2024 & 2025
• Percentage point change - retailer shopped at for items for the home (2024-2025)
• Items purchased - homewares, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - homewares, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - electricals, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - electricals, 2024 & 2025
• Items purchased - furniture, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers used - furniture, 2024 & 2025
• Categories bought on impulse - items for the home, 2024 & 2025

List of Figure

List of Figures

• When Christmas shoppers started their Christmas shopping this year, 2025
• Top retailers shopped at for food & drink, 2025
• Most popular Christmas home colour schemes, 2025
• Most popular advent calendars, 2025
• Christmas shopper penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Christmas shopper profile (by demographic & by region), 2025
• Christmas retail shopper penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Christmas leisure shopper penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• When consumers started their Christmas shopping, 2024 & 2025
• Did consumers start their Christmas shopping earlier this year, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Reasons why consumers started Christmas shopping earlier, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Financial wellbeing compared to last year, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers' Christmas spending compared to last year, 2024 & 2025
• Priorities in different categories for Christmas spend, 2025
• How consumers financed Christmas spending, 2024 & 2025
• Christmas spending on retail and leisure, 2025
• Agreement statements about Christmas, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Success of retailers at promoting or communicating Christmas deals, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• What's driving retailer selection - summary, 2025
• Proportion of Christmas spending online and offline, 2025
• Online gift guide penetration, total and by demographic, 2025
• Proportion of Christmas gift guide shoppers buying from the same retailer whose gift guide they browsed, 2025
• Christmas stockings received penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Christmas stockings given penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Christmas stockings average spend, total per stocking (2023-2025) and by price bracket (2024 & 2025)
• Number of Christmas stockings bought, 2024 & 2025
• Secret Santa penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Secret Santa budget, total average per person (2023-2025) and by price bracket (2025)
• Who the Secret Santa was bought for, 2024 & 2025
• Secret Santa participants spending over or under budget, 2024 & 2025
• Why consumers are taking part in a family Secret Santa this year, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Do consumers often take part in a family Secret Santa, 2025
• Christmas returns penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic & region (2025)
• Number of Christmas returns, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Reasons for returning Christmas presents, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Christmas secondhand purchase penetration, total (2024 & 2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Reasons for shopping secondhand, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Reasons for not shopping secondhand, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Proportion of Christmas shoppers that have purchased items seen on social media platforms, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Proportion of Christmas shoppers that have asked for items seen on social media platforms, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Overall food and drink penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Retailers shopped at for seasonal food and drink, 2024 & 2025
• Retailers most shopped at for seasonal food and drink, 2024 & 2025
• Drivers of food & drink retailer selection, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Consumers switching from their usual main retailer, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Retailers consumers switched to, 2024 & 2025
• Reasons for switching main retailer, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing seasonal food and drink, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each store type for purchasing seasonal food and drink, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each device for seasonal food and drink purchases, 2024 & 2025
• Fulfilment options for seasonal food and drink purchases made online, 2024 & 2025
• Proportion of Christmas shoppers that planned to order food & grocery items using a rapid delivery service, 2025
• Proportion of Christmas shoppers that ordered food & grocery items using a rapid delivery service, 2025
• Statements to describe rapid delivery usage, 2025
• Rapid delivery providers used, 2025
• Reasons for using rapid delivery, 2025
• Average spend on seasonal food and non-alcoholic beverages by retailer, 2025 and £ change on 2024
• Average spend on seasonal alcoholic beverages by retailer, 2025 and £ change on 2024
• Christmas sweet products penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Christmas savoury products penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Meat, fish and free from alternatives penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Fruit & vegetables penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Alcoholic beverages penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Frozen foods penetration, total (2024 & 2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Non-alcoholic beverages penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Overall seasonal food & drink planned/impulse purchases, 2025
• Overall gift penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Retailers shopped at for gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Drivers of gifts retailer selection, 2025 & ppt change on 2024
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing Christmas gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using store type for purchasing Christmas gifts, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each device for Christmas gift shopping purchases, 2024 & 2025
• Fulfilment options for Christmas gift purchases made online, 2024 & 2025
• How consumers gave presents, 2024 & 2025
• Average spend on Christmas gifts by product category, 2025 and £ change on 2024
• Who consumers bought Christmas gifts for, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Clothing & accessories penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Food gifts penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Health & beauty penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Drink gifts penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Footwear penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Toys & games penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Views regarding gifting plastic toys, 2024 & 2025
• Books penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Homewares penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Money penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Vouchers & gift cards penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Stationery penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Electricals penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Music & video penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Leather goods penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Experiences penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Fine jewellery & watches penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Sports penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Computers penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Garden items penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• DIY penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Overall gift planned/impulse purchases, 2025
• Overall gift personalisation, 2025
• Secondhand gifts penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Channel usage for secondhand gift purchasing, 2024 & 2025
• Reasons for purchasing secondhand gifts, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Reasons for not purchasing secondhand gifts, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Regifting penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Reasons for regifting, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Who consumers regifted to, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Overall festive items penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Retailers shopped at for festive items, 2024 & 2025
• Drivers of retailer selection for festive items, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Consumers using each channel for festive item purchases, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each store type for festive item purchases, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each device for festive item purchases, 2024 & 2025
• Fulfilment options for festive item purchases made online, 2024 & 2025
• Average spend on festive items, 2025 and £ change on 2024
• Do consumers usually buy Christmas items such as cards and crackers decorated with glitter, 2025
• Have consumers stopped purchasing Christmas items decorated with glitter this year, 2025
• How have shopping habits regarding Christmas items decorated with glitter changed versus last year?, 2024 & 2025
• Would consumers purchase from a retailer that they would not normally purchase from if it stopped using glitter on its Christmas item, 2025
• Would consumers buy items with glitter elsewhere, if they couldn't purchase Christmas items with glitter at the retailer they normally purchase from, 2025
• Christmas wrapping & cards penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Size of gift bag purchased, 2024 & 2025
• Colour scheme chosen for festive gift wrap, 2024 & 2025
• Qualities looked for in greetings cards, 2024 & 2025
• Reasons for not buying Christmas cards, 2025 and ppt change on 2024
• Christmas trees and decorations penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Height of Christmas tree purchased, by real & artificial trees, 2025
• Artificial Christmas tree replacement by number of years, 2025
• Bulb count on Christmas lights purchased by internal & external, 2025
• Bulb colour of Christmas lights purchased by internal & external, 2025
• Fixtures purchased for Christmas Lights by internal & external, 2025
• Whether fixtures were purchased at the same time as Christmas lights by internal & external, 2025
• Type of fixture purchased by internal & external, 2025
• Festive home products penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Colour scheme chosen for festive home products, 2024 & 2025
• Christmas advent calendar penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Who Christmas advent calendars were bought for, 2024 & 2025
• Types of products included in Christmas advent calendars, 2024 & 2025
• Christmas crackers penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Consumers filling in Christmas crackers themselves, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers' opinion on whether retailers should stop including plastic toys in crackers, 2024 & 2025
• Christmas partywear penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Christmas partywear shoppers buying items new or secondhand, 2024 & 2025
• Overall festive items planned/impulse purchases, 2025
• Overall festive items personalisation, 2025
• Overall items for the home penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Retailers shopped at for items for the home, 2024 & 2025
• Drivers of items for the home retailer selection, 2025 and ppt change from 2024
• Consumers using each channel for items for the home, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each store type for items for the home, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each device for items for the home purchases, 2024 & 2025
• Consumers using each fulfilment option for items for the home, 2024 & 2025
• Average spend on items for the home by category, 2025 and £ change from 2024
• Homewares penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Electricals penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Furniture penetration, total (2023-2025) and by demographic (2025)
• Overall items for the home planned/impulse purchases, 2025