Adobe Analytics: UK shoppers Spend Big in January, as Health & Wellness Drive £8.4bn in Online Purchases
After a record holiday spending season, the latest online spending data from Adobe shows that UK shoppers are switching their focus from gift giving to self-improvement. In January, consumers put their money where their health is, investing in their wellbeing and tackling 2025 fitness goals by spending on exercise equipment and health products.
The data from Adobe, powered by Adobe Analytics, saw UK online spending hit £8.4 billion in January 2025, representing an 2.9% increase on the £ 8.1 billion spent in January 2024. This follows YoY growth of 19.9% in December, due in part to Cyber Monday falling in December last year, and 5.9% during the whole holiday period, indicating continued consumer confidence and online spending power following 2024’s record holiday online spending period.
After a busy spending period in December, recording 19.9% year on year growth thanks to Cyber Monday falling in December this year, online prices have remained near their discounted December levels (excluding Cyber Monday), with some categories seeing prices fall even further in January. Consumers enjoyed deeper discounts across categories including apparel (-5.2%), sporting goods (-1.9%), furniture (-2.9%), and appliances (-1.2%), as retailers kept prices competitive to stimulate demand after the holiday period.
“After indulging in deep online discounts during the holiday season, shoppers kicked off 2025 by putting their money where their health is and spending on items to boost their wellness and fitness. Consumers also took advantage of continued discounting in January with online retailers dropping the prices of apparel, sporting goods, furniture and appliances in an effort to avoid a post-Christmas spending hangover”
Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights at Adobe.
Health & wellbeing drives online spending for sporting goods & food subscriptions:
Shoppers looking to start the year on a healthy note focused their spending on wellness products. Consumers shopped online to upgrade their home gym, with online purchases of exercise equipment rising by 60% when compared with the previous month. Health and nutrition were top of mind, as online spending on natural supplements including multivitamin powders increased by 26% and purchases of fruits and vegetables increased by 24%.
Consumers lean on Buy Now Pay Later Services to maximize January spending:
Shoppers continued to use Buy Now Pay Later services to stretch their spending capabilities. In January, £1.26 billion was spent via BNPL services, accounting for 15% of total January spend, and up 3.3% compared to January 2024.
About Adobe Insights:
The Adobe Digital Insights team used Adobe Analytics to analyse hundreds-of-millions of visits to retail sites from UK consumers in January 2025, tracking 100 million stock-keeping units (SKUs) across 18 product categories to provide the most comprehensive view of the UK digital economy. Adobe Analytics is part of Adobe Experience Cloud, relied upon by major retailers to deliver, measure, and personalise shopping experiences online.