Consumers are now favouring experiences, value-led retail and resale platforms during the golden quarter, according to new research from Experian and Reward.
The research revealed that spending habits are changing as shoppers prioritise experiences and wellbeing, as well as affordable and sustainable brands.
By analysing year-to-date spending patterns with golden quarter data from 2024, it can provide insight into how shoppers may approach the peak shopping season.
Value-driven retail grew 42% year on year, resale marketplace platforms increased 21%, and social shopping channels grew 23.6% in 2025 so far.
The growth in these channels was strong among over-65s – who now account for 14% of total online spend.
In the year-to-date, gym and fitness sign-ups increased by 9.4%, nutrition sales grew 5.6% and health and beauty spend was up 2.2%, highlighting the growth in wellness and health.
Domestic and international travel spend grew 8.3% in Q4 2024 and has grown 3.1% in 2025 in the year-to-date.
Black Friday has turned from a single day into a broader trading period across two weeks. Analysis from 1.4 billion transactions across 4,000 retail brands shows that spend over the broader Black Friday trading period in 2024 grew 10% compared to the year prior.
Last year, both October and December outperformed November in terms of sales, with this trend expected to be repeated in 2025 as shoppers prefer a season-long approach over a single day.
The research highlights that advertisers and brands should move beyond focusing on short-term discounting and use data to forecast customer needs.
Experian UK and Ireland managing director of marketing services Colin Grieves said: “Consumer habits are clearly evolving and in today’s economic climate those changes are difficult to predict.
“Having access to accurate, comprehensive spending pattern insight, combined with smarter audience targeting, gives brands a much stronger chance of success. It ensures the right messages reach the right audiences across all channels, delivering value to both the brand and the consumer.”
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