Barclays: UK shoppers set to spend £10.2bn in the Black Friday sales

Black Friday shoppers expect to spend an average of £430 each in upcoming sales – £91 more than last year – amounting to over £10.2 billion. Two in five UK adults (43%) will be on the hunt for deals (up from 37% in 2024), rising to 76 % among Gen Z.

One in four (26%) have been saving money to spend during the Black Friday/Christmas sales period, which, combined with pre-Budget anticipation, contributed to subdued spending in October, when Barclays Spend data shows retail recorded its steepest fall (-0.5%) since November 2024.

Amid ongoing cost pressures, consumers are making savvy decisions ahead of the festive season. Of those participating in Black Friday, 45% plan to pick up Christmas gifts at a discount and 19 % will prioritise essential purchases over luxury items. Other popular planned purchases include clothing (39%), electronics (28%), and beauty products (24%).

Sale scepticism grows, but shoppers use social media and AI to find true value

Demonstrating the enduring popularity of Black Friday, Barclays’ proprietary data shows that Black Friday 2024 (29th November) was the busiest day of the year for transactions, with retail volumes up 83.7% in comparison to the daily average. While three in 10 (29%) still consider the annual event as the best time bag a bargain, sales scepticism is beginning to set in.

Almost half (44%) say they do not look forward to the seasonal sales as much as they used to. Seven in 10 (68%) are doubtful about the real value of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and a similar proportion (65%) believe such sales events encourage unnecessary spending.

Barclays Consumer Spend research shows that 8 % of UK adults will use tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT to source and compare deals, doubling for Gen Z, at 17%. Across all age groups, one in eight (13%) believe AI tools are more effective than traditional search engines when it comes to deal hunting, suggesting use of this technology as an aid to sales shopping will increase next year.

Gen Z leading high street resurgence

Across all age groups, 69% of those shopping this Black Friday plan to shop online, compared to the one in three (34%) who plan to shop in-store. Younger shoppers are most likely to shop in-person, at 40 % for those aged 18-27. In contrast, Baby Boomers (aged 60-78) are the most likely generation to browse the sales online, at 81%. Social e-commerce platforms such as TikTok shop, are set to be a popular choice for Gen Z shoppers, at 45% – three times the 15% for shoppers aged 28 or over.

Of those planning to shop in-person, over half (55%) will visit shopping centres, 39% will head to their local high street, and 28% will venture to their closest major city. The most popular reasons for shopping in-store on Black Friday are assessing product quality in person (35%), discovering unexpected deals (27%) and avoiding delivery costs (25%).

Rohan Kumar, Head of Barclays Spend Insights, said: “Our historical transaction data proves that Black Friday remains a vital retail milestone, with volumes typically spiking on the day itself. October’s slowdown was potentially a signal that this year’s sale will outperform 2024, after shoppers held out for discounts and deals. With any luck, retailers will see a considerable spike and food and drink businesses will benefit from the resulting footfall.”

Harshna Cayley, head of payment acceptance at Barclaycard Payments, said: “Retailers will undoubtedly be hopeful that a Black Friday boost will set the tone for a strong ‘Golden Quarter’ this year. The sales event is now more of a marathon than a sprint, with 60 % of shoppers starting their search as early as October, presenting businesses with ample opportunity to engage savvy consumers on the hunt for deals.”