Virgin Media O2 Business today publishes its second full-year Movers Index, revealing a 7% fall in weekend high street and shopping centre visits last year. However, Brits are on a mission to save local shops in 2025, as two thirds (65%) have ambitions to support their local high street.
The quarterly Movers Index, now in its third year, is based on combining anonymised and aggregated UK movement data from O2 Motion* with national polling findings to reveal key behavioural trends. The combined data paints an accurate picture of movement patterns and the trends influencing them.
Brits look to reclaim pre-pandemic culture
2024 saw a further shift in hybrid working policies, with 88% of workers subject to compulsory office attendance. As a result, over three quarters (76%) of employees began commuting at least three days per week and a notable 39% made a full-time office return, commuting five days per week. Surprisingly, policies are being met with a largely positive response. Nearly three quarters (74%) of those surveyed feel positive about mandatory office attendance policies.
As the new year kicks off, over half (52%) of workers plan to commute more than four times a week, with 73% expecting to commute at least three times a week. Key motivators include company incentives like time off after intense periods of work (28%) and free drinks (26%), alongside a collective desire to recapture the benefits of pre-pandemic work culture (50%). Despite these motivations, mobile data showed commute trips into major towns fell by 7% across the year; 2025 will demonstrate whether company mandates and perks are enough to boost this.
It’s time to step up support for local businesses
Despite a strong start to 2024, with two thirds (65%) of Brits saying supporting their local high street was important to them, the year painted a tougher picture for many retailers. Store closures surged by 28%, with six in ten (63%) Brits expressing worries about further closures. Compounding this, over half of retailers (53%) reported a noticeable decline in shoppers spending time in-store, with reduced spending noted by 40%.
Despite shoppers claiming to be willing to pay an extra 23% more to support local businesses, nearly one in four (23%) admit to shopping less frequently on their local high street last year. This is reflected in the numbers of weekend trips to high street and shopping centre areas which fell by 5% and 9% respectively from 2023 to 2024. From April to December, trips were lower in 2024 than 2023 with the largest falls in the summer months and a 4% fall in December.
However, January and March exhibited footfall growth, meaning retailers could look hopefully towards March 2025 for a similar rebound.
Tech is key to a good shopping experience
The Movers Index reveals technology has become indispensable for budget-conscious shoppers, with 77% of Brits using it to enhance their in-person shopping experience, like checking online prices and finding deals; one in 10 (11%) do so every time they shop. Shoppers emphasise the importance of being able to compare prices online (42%) and name good WiFi (22%) and strong mobile connectivity (21%) as two of the top three features attracting them to shop in-store.
With 34% of Brits aiming to cut down overspending on non-essential items and 33% reducing impulse buying, every penny counts for retailers. Technology-related frustrations, like self-checkout glitches, have consequences for retailers, with 38% of shoppers leaving or avoiding returning to stores due to complicated or frustrating tech in 2024. This rises to over half (51%) for Gen Z.
Craig Bunting, co-founder of BEAR, comments, “As the owner of eight high-street coffee shops, my co-founder and I are focused on using technology to better connect with our guests, both in-store and online. We create welcoming spaces with free WiFi, supplied by Virgin Media O2 Business, to support those who work or relax in our stores. We’re transparent about data exchange, ensuring guests know their information is used solely to enhance their experience. These insights help us deliver tailored, valuable communications, while our guests’ respectful use of our spaces—especially during peak times—creates a harmonious relationship that strengthens our connection with the communities we serve and all who visit us.”
Diego Tedesco, director of commercial, product and marketing at Virgin Media O2 Business, adds: “Our full-year Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index shows a disconnect between shoppers’ intentions and actions. Despite ambitions from many to shop locally, budgets remained tight and high street visits saw a sharp decline as a third (37%) shopped more online.
“To meet budget-conscious shoppers where they are, it will be increasingly important for retailers to tap into the benefits technology can bring to stores. Offering a great in-store experience, with high-speed WiFi like coffee shop company, BEAR, or smooth online check-out experiences, will be essential to the high street’s revival in 2025.”
Accurate mobile data provides retailers with a rich picture of customer movement to help tailor the in-store experience to them. As retailers look to respond to these trends and support their customers, Virgin Media O2 Business is ready to help.
From retailers to public sector organisations, Virgin Media O2 Business’ team of data experts support companies of all sizes to understand these trends and use them to make strategic decisions. The Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index is a publicly available quarterly report that explores the latest UK movement insights from each quarter. Find out more and access the report here: Virgin Media O2 Business website.
