Consumer card spending fell 0.8% year-on-year in October, a slight drop from -0.7% in September, with a mix of pre-Budget anticipation, upcoming Black Friday offers, and gentle climate all cited.
That’s based on the most recent information from Barclays, which covers practically 40% of the UK’s credit score and debit card transactions, with two in 5 shoppers adjusting their funds forward of the Autumn Budget and one in three holding off on main selections till after the announcement on 26 November (Black Friday formally falls on 28 November this 12 months).
In October, all seven measures of shopper and financial confidence tracked by Barclays declined for the primary time since August 2022, when the Bank of England introduced its greatest base price improve in 27 years.
Retail recorded its steepest fall (-0.5%) since November 2024, with department shops (-7.8%) and discounters (-7.6%) each in decline. Sales of clothes had been flat at 0.1%.
However, the well being & magnificence class maintained “strong” development, up 7.6%, as 44% of shoppers stated they’re “more focused on wellbeing this year,” rising to 55% amongst Gen Z shoppers.
Shoppers are bracing themselves for Black Friday offers, with 26% saying they’ve been saving cash to spend in the course of the Black Friday/Christmas interval.
Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, stated: “Looking forward to the Autumn Budget, shoppers are taking a thought-about strategy to spending. While confidence declined in October, we’re seeing resilience inside classes linked to well being and wellbeing, suggesting persons are nonetheless prepared to put money into the areas that matter most to them.
“With Black Friday and Christmas on the horizon, we expect spending patterns to shift again as shoppers seek out value and seasonal offers.”
New garments and equipment emerged as the highest non-important cutback in October, chosen by 53% of those that say they’re lowering their discretionary spending (48%).
Confidence in family funds fell considerably, from 74% to 63% in October. The proportion of these assured of their job safety and skill to spend on non-important objects each reached their lowest factors since 2023, at 44% and 51% respectively (down from 47% and 60% in September).
Those missing confidence in family funds cited the price of residing (54%), a pessimistic outlook for the 12 months forward (41%), and inflation outpacing wage development (30%) as their high causes for concern.
In distinction, those that do really feel assured listed having little or no debt (58%), cautious finances administration (50%), and having a financial savings buffer (43%) as the primary contributing elements. Baby boomers are the most definitely technology to say they’re assured of their family funds, at 71%.
Julien Lafargue, Chief Market Strategist, Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management, commented: “Consumers and companies alike seem to have adopted a ‘wait and see’ strategy forward of the Autumn Budget.
“While this is generating some short-term headwinds, it could position the UK economy for a rebound once the uncertainty lifts, potentially setting the stage for a strong festive season.”
The Barclays Consumer Spend report combines a whole lot of tens of millions of buyer transactions with shopper analysis to offer an in-depth view of UK spending.
For this newest information, Barclays debit card and Barclaycard bank card transactions relate to the interval from 28 September – 25 October 2024 versus 27 September – 24 October 2025.
The Barclays Consumer Spend analysis was carried out between 24 October – 28 October 2025 by Opinium Research on behalf of Barclays.
There had been 2,000 respondents in every spherical of analysis, offering a consultant pattern of UK shoppers by age, gender, area, and earnings group.