Retail Occasions | Consumer Insight | Clear Channel
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Retail Occasions

Understand consumers, inspire growth.

Understand consumers, inspire growth

In an increasingly complex and fast-moving world – the need for trusted, actionable, and forward-thinking insight is greater than ever. While consumer behaviour is ever-evolving, some fundamentals remain the same; every year over £1 in every £10 of all UK retail spend is attributed to just nine key retail occasions – that’s £39bn a year and growing.

Our Retail Occasions insight series is here to help you better understand which occasions should drive your growth in 2024, and where the opportunities lie. Discover specific and relevant insight to develop successful advertising strategies that make the most of your Out of Home campaigns.

 

Retails Occassions

39

bn

collective worth*

10

%

of all total retail spend *

* Globaldata, 2023

8

%

growth 2018-2023

In the spotlight: Back to School

Families are already preparing for the back-to-school season with enthusiasm and care. Finding the right supplies for students can sometimes be a challenge. Curated bundles tailored to each child's needs and high-quality, personalised items can make the shopping experience smoother, especially with last-minute purchases. Dive into our interactive section below to discover everything you need for Back to School.

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More insights, better decisions

We're giving you easy access to deep occasion-specific intelligence and analytics. From Valentine’s Day to Christmas, we’ve got the answers to all the important questions on consumers’ attitudes and shopping behaviour.

  • Who’s buying?

  • What are they buying?

  • Where will they buy?

  • What will influence their behaviour?

  • When will they buy?


With our Retail Occasions Tracker, we’ll keep you updated on exactly when each occasion is activated, how many buyers have entered the market, current total market spend, and its remaining potential to tap into.

Equipped with all the crucial intelligence, you'll be able to quickly adapt and unlock the needs of your customers across 2024’s key retail opportunities.

Black Friday

An exciting promotional shopping event, with the nation seeking exclusive deals and heavy discounts.

of consumers' total spend on Black Friday was online

purchase intention: Electronics & technology

expect retailers to offer special deals & promotions

Christmas

The last and largest event for shoppers and celebrators. A tradition that is never forgotten and is long awaited each year. Despite last year’s challenges, the nation’s sentiment did not budge and displayed resilience.

enjoy experience gifts over physical ones (16-24s)

YoY prefer going to the shops to buy Xmas gifts

say they would shop for specialty food & drink exclusively in-store

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is the first key 2024 calendar celebration, and each year it remains to be a sentimental event filled with special moments. However, it no longer is just a day between partners, we now see families and friends come together to celebrate love.  

activity: Watching movies at home

YoY increase in retail share of spend vs leisure

of 16-24s make or DIY their gifts

up next

Mother's Day

Consumers are expected to make continued efforts in 2024 to ensure they join with their mothers and celebrate with their loved ones. Mother’s Day beholds unweathering sentiment, with 85% agreeing it is an important occasion.

YoY in leisure share of penetration

increase in shopper penetration

in flowers purchases

Easter

More people are enjoying spending time at home relaxing, seeing an uplift in home and craft activities. To make the most of the occasion, brands need to capture consumers right at the beginning of the season to drive spend and impulsivity. 

time spent with family (vs pre-pandemic)

did more Easter egg hunts vs last year

increase in leisure share of spend YoY

Father's Day

2024 will see families continuing to reunite and celebrate those magical moments with loved ones. While the gifting market is smaller for Father’s Day, compared to Mother’s Day, the market is outperforming and is forecast to grow this year.     

growth in shopper penetration YoY

growth in leisure spend for dads

growth in impulse purchases

Summer

Now’s the perfect time to sharpen those summer marketing & media plans to capture consumers’ excitement for the comeback of experiences, entertainment, sport, fashion & travel.
* Total-in season spend for Summer (June - August) = £632m


vs 2021 in shopper penetration

want to spend more time outside this year

will go on a domestic trip this year

Back to School

Returning back from summer leisure and downtime, parents’ unwavering focus continues to be placed in Back To School spend to best support their children.

growth in spend over last 5 years

purchasing factor: Quality across all major categories

of Back to School spend is Uniforms

Halloween

An opportunity to regain the relevance of this year’s social occasion across costumes, food & drink, and decorations.

agree Halloween is an important celebration for the kids

YoY in average spend in costume accessories

YoY looking for in-store experiences when costume shopping

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Find out more

Get in touch to find out more about how you can activate shoppers around the biggest Retail Occasions.