Dashing through the shops: Christmas shoppers to splash £2.87bn this ‘Panic Weekend’

Christmas shoppers are expected to spend £2.87bn this Panic Weekend (17th-18th December), according to new research.

VoucherCodes' Shopping for Christmas: The build up to Christmas report forecasts a merry weekend for retailers with sales set to rise by 4.4 per cent from 2021 (£2.75bn). This comes as 34.2 million Brits are expected to make a purchase over the weekend.

Retail sales and shopper numbers are expected to peak on "Super Saturday" (17th December) when 17.4 million people will spend either online or in-stores. As consumers rush to finish their last-minute Christmas shopping, they’re expected to spend £1.63bn, the majority of which will be spent in stores (£0.97bn) as 11.2 million shoppers hit the high street, supermarkets and shopping centres. A further £0.63bn will be spent online by 6.2 million shoppers.

Looking at "Stampede Sunday" (18th December), sales are expected to hit £1.24bn as 16.8 million people shop online and in-store. Whilst this is the lowest spend across the week leading up to Christmas, retailers can enjoy a rise of 22.8 per cent on the previous year when £1.01bn was spent.

This rise in spend comes from an increase in offline spending, from £0.62bn in 2021 to £0.65bn in 2022, but primarily from a large rise in online spending from £0.38bn to £0.57bn. As Stampede Sunday occurs a day earlier than last year, shoppers have more time to order online and guarantee delivery in time for Christmas.

Panic Weekend total, online and offline sales. 2022 forecast

Panic Weekend sales. 2019-2021 actuals, 2022 forecast

“Whilst retail sales over the six week Christmas period are set to be down three per cent YoY1, retailers will be relieved they can expect a last-minute boost over the weekend before Christmas, as shoppers rush to stock up on festive essentials,"said Maureen McDonagh, SVP International and Managing Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk.

“Consumers will be cutting back this Christmas in response to the cost-of-living crisis but, as our report shows, they’re still planning on making the best Christmas with what limited budget they have. This means retailers should focus on offering their customers real value this festive season, with deals and the best discounts possible.”