- Thousands more men than women expected to be on the streets of London’s busiest shopping district on Christmas Eve, as new aggregated and anonymised mobile data from O2 Motion indicates men typically leave Christmas shopping to the last minute
- Last year’s data shows a striking 12 percentage point shift – from women outnumbering men by six percentage points on Black Friday weekend to men leading by six percentage points on Christmas Eve
- Men admit to leaving their Christmas shopping ten days later than women, with two in five (40%) saying ‘I thought I had more time’ according to new polling
- With Millennial and Gen Z favouring experiences and time with loved ones over physical items, Priority from O2 continues to give members access to everything from money off spa days to free rewards and savings on days out, which don’t require a last-minute dash to the shops
While women dominate the UK’s busiest shopping district – covering Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street – in the weeks running up to Christmas, new data from Virgin Media O2 reveals that come Christmas Eve this is set to shift, with thousands more men visiting the area in a last-minute gift-buying spree.
O2 Motion uses aggregated and anonymised mobile network data to provide insights into population movement and travel patterns across the UK. It found on the Saturday afternoon of Black Friday weekend last year (30 November 2024), which is considered one of the busiest festive shopping windows, there were thousands more women than men visiting the West End (53% women versus 47% men).
Women continued to outnumber men in the area during weekends until the data shows a sudden reversal on Christmas Eve, when men outnumbered women by 6 percentage points, in a remarkable 12 percentage point swing.
The Christmas shopping divide
New polling from Virgin Media O2 to explain the trend has found that although the majority of Brits (53%) say they hate leaving shopping to the last minute, that doesn’t stop around one in eight (13%) doing most of their shopping in the week of Christmas.
Men say they start and finish Christmas shopping 10 days later than women and are five times more likely to start on Christmas Eve (5% versus 1%), with the main reason being that they thought they had more time (40%). While many women admit to doing so too, they say this is because ‘life was too busy’ (44%).
As a result of leaving gift buying down to the wire, 20% of men have said it’s meant they could not get gifts delivered in time, and more than twice as many men than women have admitted to buying someone important a Christmas present at a petrol station (14% versus 6%).
When asked if men or women are better at Christmas shopping, one in five men (19%) believe they are better. However, only 3% of women agreed.
Lisa Johnstone, Director of Priority, Loyalty & Reward at Virgin Media O2, said: “While lots of us leave gifting until the last minute – with our data suggesting many men will be making a Christmas Eve dash this year – there’s still time to choose something truly special. Through Priority, customers can access thousands of experiences to enjoy together, making it easier to give a gift that’s all about sharing time.
“When Christmas shopping goes down to the wire, it’s a reminder that the most meaningful gift is time spent together. At this time of year, Priority is about celebrating moments shared with friends and family and helping turn time together into memories that last a lifetime.”
Priority from O2
O2’s award-winning customer rewards programme, Priority, gives members access to exclusive rewards, experiences and 48-hour early access to tickets for thousands of gigs and events nationwide all year round.
With research from O2 revealing that 40% of people prefer experiences over physical gifts at Christmas, a figure that rises to 55% for Millennials and 53% for Gen Z, Priority makes it easy to give the gift of time together this festive season. From live music and entertainment to unique rewards, customers can simply open the Priority app and discover a world of experiences that last far beyond Christmas – including everything from money off Virgin Experience Days to free treats when you buy tickets to shows at The London Palladium.
Unforgettable experiences available through Priority between now and the end of the year include:
- Nationwide Days Out with the Kids family experiences
- Save £25.99 on the RHS Gift Membership
- 22% off Spa Days, Arts & Crafts and Adventure experiences with Virgin Experience Days
- 30% off Paddington Bear Experience, Monopoly Lifesized, War of the Worlds Immersive Experiences
- VIP treatment at The London Palladium including lounge access and queue jump when you buy tickets
Top reasons for leaving gift buying last minute
| Men | Women |
|
|
| 2. Life was too busy (38%) | 2. I thought I had more time (32%) |
| 3. I forgot to buy a gift (36%) | 3. I never buy gifts late (27%) |
| 4. I came up with a late, great gift idea (25%) | 4. I forgot to buy a gift (26%) |
| 5. I like doing all my shopping in one go (22%) | 5. I’ve had to do the bulk of the shopping for the family, so it took longer (24%) |
| 6. I don’t think there’s any issue buying presents late (21%) | 6. I came up with a late, great gift idea (21%) |
| 7. I never buy gifts late (21%) | 7. I like doing all my shopping in one go (16%) |
| 8. I was in denial about how many people I needed to buy for (17%) | 8. I was in denial about how many people I needed to buy for (13%) |
| 9. I didn’t want to spend the money (17%) | 9. I don’t think there’s any issue buying presents late (13%) |
| 10. I was hoping someone else would do it for me (14%) | 10. I had to step in at the last minute after my partner forgot to buy a gift they were meant to (12%) |
Notes to Editors:
- O2 Motion is a service that uses anonymised and aggregated data created by the mobile phone network to offer insight into movement trends across the UK. As mobile devices connect to different masts, they create data footprints which O2 can then anonymise, aggregate, and extrapolate in order to gain a picture of how people are travelling, when they make journeys and which areas they visit.
- O2 Motion is based on connection data between a device and phone mast only. It does not collect GPS data.
- Data insights from O2 Motion never allow identification or mapping of individuals and operate within strict privacy guidelines. O2 Motion does not capture international visitors in the UK or children.
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