New data from Adobe, powered by Adobe Analytics, reveals UK consumers spent £9.25 billion online in February, up 3.3% year-over-year, as wet weather and low levels of consumer confidence saw shoppers head online to stay dry and take advantage of more competitive prices.
Spending on mobile devices increased by 3.9% compared to February 2025, while referrals from social media sources to retail sites increased by 15.8% over the same period, highlighting the growing impact of social media and online influencers in shaping what and where people buy.
Adobe’s data, which is based on tens of billions of actual online transactions, also found consumers are pulling back on buying big-ticket items in categories such as electronics, appliances and furniture, upping their spending on health and wellness supplements, and shifting their spending away from low-cost fast-fashion in favour of higher quality apparel that presents better long-term value.
“Record rainfall in February kept shoppers at home and scrolling on their phones, driving a surge in mobile and social media-led online spending,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. “Shoppers are also continuing to prioritise value over price, trading up from the cheapest fast fashion options to higher priced alternatives, whilst holding back big-ticket purchases for major sales events where deeper discounts make premium products more affordable.”
Wet weather drives online, mobile and social media spend
- UK shoppers spent £9.25bn online in February, up 3.3% year‑on‑year.
- Spending in the first eight days of February reached £2.65bn, a period when parts of England had already seen around 70% more rainfall than is typical for the time of year, underlining how an exceptionally wet start to the month helped keep shoppers at home and online.
- Mobile spend increased 3.9% compared with February 2025, and referrals to retail sites from social media platforms grew 15.8% over the same period as consumers discovered products through creators, influencers and social feeds.
- Traffic to retail sites from AI and GenAI sources (including tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini) was up 201% year‑on‑year in February, with shoppers increasingly turning to AI for comparisons in categories like personal care, electronics and medical equipment.
- AI-driven shoppers show higher intent and are more likely to compare options, refine choices and move closer to purchase.
- UK consumers spent £1.4 via Buy Now Pay Later services in February, representing 14.7% of total online spend for the month
Cautious consumers hold out for major sales events
- In February, the share of units sold from the most expensive quartile of goods across appliances, electronics and furniture declined 3% YoY, as many households delayed buying big-ticket items.
- Adobe data has consistently found consumers consolidate their spending on big ticket items around major sales events like Amazon’s Spring Sale, Prime Day and Cyber Weekend.
Fast Fashion Slows Down
- Despite spending more cautiously, when it comes to clothing and apparel shoppers are not simply chasing the lowest price. The share of units sold from the lowest quartile of the apparel category fell by 4% compared with a year ago, while demand increased in mid- and higher-priced quartiles.
- This indicates a shift away from low-cost fast fashion and towards higher quality clothing and activewear that present better long‑term value.
Healthy habits persist as supplement spending trends upwards remain a bright spot
- Spending on health and nutrition products including supplements and multivitamin powders was up 15% compared to January (which was already 42% higher than normal levels) – suggesting shoppers are turning early‑year resolutions into more sustained health and wellness routines.
- Social and community trends continued to influence purchasing, with referrals helping to drive interest in fitness supplements, wellness products and weight‑management aids, as consumers look for everyday ways to support their health without large, one‑off spends.
Prices rise on a monthly basis; continue to trend down YoY
- Across the e‑commerce landscape, online prices were 9.4% lower than a year ago, with apparel (down 14.1% YoY) and sporting goods (down 11.8% YoY) seeing the biggest annual price drops.
- Prices rose on a monthly basis across all categories except Toys and Games as prices returned to normal levels following the deep discounts over the holiday and January sales period.
Essential Items
- Pet Products: down 6.3% YoY, up 0.5% MoM
- Grocery: down 4.8% YoY, up 0.6% MoM
Non-essential Items
- Apparel: down 14.1% YoY, up 5% MoM
- Sporting Goods: down 11.8% YoY, up 5.3% MoM
- Toys and Games: down 11.1% YoY, down 0.3% MoM
- Appliances: down 9.7% YoY, up 3% MoM
- Electronics: down 9.6% YoY, up 3.9% MoM
- Books: down 8.8% YoY, up 1.8% MoM
- Tools: down 8.8% YoY, up 2.8% MoM
- Personal Care Products: down 7.8% YoY, up 0.7% MoM
- Home and Garden: down 7% YoY, up 5.5% MoM
- Office Supplies: down 6.7% YoY, up 2.4% MoM
- Computers: down 6.6% YoY, up 5.9% MoM
