Black Friday 2025 to see surge in UK experience-led spending

UK shoppers are expected to increase their spending on travel, days out and live entertainment during the Black Friday 2025 period, according to data from Mangopay.

Analysis of transaction volumes from previous years indicates that experiences are becoming a key growth area for consumer spending.

Transaction trends

Mangopay reported more than 113 million transactions during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales period in 2024. The company saw a 26% year-on-year increase in transactions across UK platforms.

While categories such as fashion maintained stable volumes, significant growth was recorded in travel bookings, which were up 23%, and ticketing, which rose 6% during the Black Friday window compared to the previous week.

Experience-led spending

The shift from product to experience purchases appears to be gathering pace. Mangopay's figures suggest consumers are prioritising higher-value bookings such as trips and live entertainment over material goods during key sales periods.

This trend, the company says, is expected to intensify in the 2025 sales season as consumers look to secure leisure opportunities and events.

"Experiences were the quiet winners of Black Friday last year, and all the signals point to an even bigger shift this year," said Alex Taylor, Managing Director, Mangopay. "UK shoppers are using Black Friday to secure the trips, events and leisure moments they value most. This year, we expect experiences to be one of the standout growth categories."

Extended peak periods

Spending momentum is also lasting beyond the initial Black Friday window. According to Mangopay, ticketing purchases increased by a further 18% between Black Friday and Cyber Monday compared to the prior week.

This suggests that the traditional four-day sales period is being replaced by a longer and more flexible timeframe, as consumers take additional time to make considered purchases and bookings.

Platform readiness

The rising popularity of experience-focused spending places new pressures on marketplace platforms and payment providers. Mangopay advises that those prepared to handle increased activity, particularly in facilitating seamless payment flows for bookings and ticketing, will stand to benefit most during peak periods. The implication is that robust digital infrastructure will be crucial to serve users who now expect quick and secure transactions for higher-value experiences.

Travel and events categories, which saw accelerated growth last year, are expected to see further expansion as Black Friday shoppers continue to divert budgets towards leisure activities.

The patterns recorded suggest that experience-led spending is becoming a permanent fixture of the UK's seasonal retail landscape.