The New Essentials: 10 Years Of Spend
Launching today, the Barclays ’10 Years of Spend’ report analyses insights dating back to 2015, tracking consumer and economic confidence, and proprietary transaction data, to reveal the key trends that have defined behaviour and spending patterns over the last decade while providing an outlook for the years ahead.
The findings mark a decade since Barclays first published its monthly Consumer Spend Report, which maps confidence in the strength of the UK, European and Global economy against confidence in four key personal financial measures; household finances, job security, ability to spend on non-essential items, and ability to live within one’s means.
These are analysed alongside growth of card spending, across essential and non-essential categories, such as grocery, retail, hospitality, entertainment, and travel.
The full report uncovers 10 trends emerging from the data, including key insights such as:
- Confidence in household finances has proven to be more resilient than confidence in the wider UK economy, which has been hampered by macro shocks in the last decade
- Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy, paying more attention to their budgets, value for money and pricing tactics than ever before
- Spending priorities are shifting; growth in discretionary purchases has outpaced essential spend since 2021, led by beauty, entertainment and travel
Confidence In Household Finances Remains Steady, Despite Macro Shocks
Barclays insights show that a decade packed with a cost-of-living crisis, Brexit, a global pandemic, and geopolitical events has knocked economic confidence:
- In December 2015, 45 per cent felt confident in the strength of the UK economy
- The average over the last 10 years is 30 per cent, with the most recent data point in May 2025 recorded as 28 per cent
- It reached its highest point in September 2016, at 48 per cent, post-Brexit referendum, and its lowest in October 2022, at 15 per cent, following the “mini-budget”
Despite this, individuals have remained confident in their own personal and professional situation, demonstrating their resilience:
- Confidence in household finances has never fallen below 52 per cent, and has averaged 69 per cent over the last 12 months
- Confidence in non-essential spending has held strong, at an average of 53 per cent from 2015 to now, and standing at 56 per cent in May 2025
Savvy Spenders Rebalance Their Wallets
With household budgets under pressure, consumers have become savvier in combating rising costs while maintaining the quality of life they value. Discretionary spend has grown by 9.2 per cent annually on average, between 2021-2024, outpacing essential spend’s 5.0 per cent growth.
British adults’ confidence in their ability to live within their means has held strong, reaching 74 per cent in May 2025, on par with 2019’s figure of 73 per cent, when Barclays started tracking this measure, potentially due to more prudent budgeting.
- 66 per cent pay more attention to their budget than they did a decade ago
- 45 per cent say they don’t feel better off than they did 10 years ago
- 82 per cent are concerned about shrinkflation, amid increasing awareness of pricing
Spending On Moments That Matter
Even when making cutbacks, people are finding room in their budgets to spend on the things they love. A quarter (24 per cent) say they prioritise fun and making memories, and find value in experiences over material goods. Meanwhile the overall hospitality and leisure sector has remained in positive growth since April 2021 – when socialising resumed after lockdown measures lifted, and outdoor venues and indoor leisure re-opened.
Entertainment and travel have both outperformed retail subcategories in recent years, with the exception of beauty, which has continued to go from strength-to-strength. All three are among the strongest performing non-essential categories post-pandemic.
| Annual spend growth by category, 2021-2024 | ||||
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Retail (overall) | 9.1% | -0.6% | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| Pharmacy, Health & Beauty | 16.2% | 13.2% | 5.8% | 6.5% |
| Hospitality & Leisure (overall) | 37.0% | 42.4% | 10.0% | 3.9% |
| Travel | 10.2% | 105.4% | 15.5% | 5.9% |
| Entertainment | 83.0% | 37.5% | 8.3% | 5.0% |
Entertainment Excels
- 22 per cent are spending a greater share of their disposable income on live entertainment than 10 years ago
- 27 per cent believe the quality of entertainment experiences is better now
- The average monthly spend on entertainment has increased 17.3 per cent since January 2020
Entertainment has emerged as a clear winner in the aftermath of COVID-19. Significant increases were seen in July 2023 (15.8 per cent) as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour sale went live, and in September 2024 (14.4 per cent) when Oasis fans raced to get their hands on tickets for their long-awaited reunion tour.
Golden Age Of Content
- Spend on digital content & subscriptions has increased 47.5 per cent since January 2020
- 88 per cent are now signed up to at least one subscription
- For those with subscriptions, the average monthly spend on these services is £50.60
A shift towards experiential spending has also coincided with a rise in the popularity of ‘Insperiences’, as 16 per cent of UK adults say they prioritise spending on at-home experiences more than they did pre-pandemic. The last decade has seen a boom in small-screen entertainment. Spending on digital content and subscriptions has consistently remained in growth since January 2023, supported by a plethora of streaming options and increased investment in production and on-screen talent.
The Changing Face Of Travel
Spending on travel has remained consistently in growth since April 2021, as holidaymakers maximised opportunities to travel abroad post-pandemic as global travel restrictions lifted. Analysis of Barclays debit and credit card transactions abroad also shows how the nation’s favourite holiday destinations have evolved. Turkey has climbed the ranks, now fifth, up from eighth in 2019, while Spain and France have consistently remained in first and second place, respectively, in that time.
- 49 per cent now value holidays more than they did 10 years ago
- 33 per cent now spend a greater share of their income on getaways
- 38 per cent use social media as inspiration and guidance for international travel
| Top 10 travel countries based on Barclays customers’ spending abroad, 2019-2024 | ||||||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
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Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain |
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France | France | France | France | France | France |
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US | Italy | UAE | US | US | US |
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Italy | US | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy |
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UAE | UAE | Greece | UAE | Turkey | Turkey |
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Ireland | Poland | US | Turkey | UAE | UAE |
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Portugal | Romania | Romania | Greece | Greece | Greece |
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Turkey | Turkey | Portugal | Portugal | Ireland | Ireland |
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Greece | Greece | Ireland | Ireland | Portugal | Portugal |
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Poland | Ireland | Poland | Poland | Netherlands | Germany |
Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said:
“Ten years’ worth of analysis tells us that while confidence in the UK economy has declined, UK households’ confidence in their ability to manage their money has remained strong, translating into the impressive performance of categories such as travel, entertainment and beauty.
“The last decade has brought unprecedented levels of disruption. Amid all the highs and lows – from rising bills, job insecurity and a fluctuating global and national economy. It is encouraging to see that through purposeful spending, consumers continue to prioritise the things that bring them joy, unlocking the potential for UK economic growth.”
Jack Meaning, Chief UK Economist at Barclays, said:
“We often get caught up in analysing the current moment, especially in light of the major economic shocks and gyrations of recent months. However, this report reminds us of the importance of taking a step back, providing a view of the bigger picture over the last decade.
“Recent trade developments are not the only headwind that UK consumers have weathered recently. The global outlook remains weak, uncertainty continues, and expectations for the year ahead are muted. But this data shows that consumers and their spending patterns have always evolved in response to macro shocks, and will likely do so again.”
William Higham, Consumer Futurist, said:
“It’s often assumed that in uncertain times practicality becomes more of a priority. Instead, it’s usually values and emotions which steer our choices. This ‘Seesaw Spending’ means functional purchases often take a back seat in favour of fun, joy and the things and people that matter most to us, a trend set to continue for some time.
“Global instability also means that consumer behaviour has become less predictable. Businesses need to accept, or even embrace, constant change as the ‘new normal’. Success will come from adapting quickly as cultural shifts arise while being prepared to withstand or exploit whatever the world throws their way.”
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