Confessions of a shopaholic: How is impulse spending hurting the UK’s finances?
Despite 5 million working Brits reporting financial, health and housing insecurity, consumer spending doesn’t appear to be decreasing. In fact, retailers have reported an 5% increase year-on-year for both in-store and online sales.
Estimated read time: 3 mins
While retail therapy might seem like a harmless way to treat yourself, small impulsive purchases can easily spiral out of control without you noticing.
To find out the extent of impulsive spending across the UK, we’ve surveyed 2,000 members of the public to gain insight into how much money is being spent on non-budgeted items.
How much are Brits spending on impulse buys?
- The average Brit will make 42 impulse purchases a year
- This is costing £944.16, on average, or £78.68 per month
- Those aged 25-34 will typically spend over £131 each month on impulse buys
- 28% of the public will make impulse purchases at least once a week
Which items are Brits most likely to impulsively purchase?
- 51% say they regularly impulse buy food and snacks
- 43% will regularly buy new clothes on impulse
- 31% buy takeaway and meals out impulsively
- 20% will impulsively buy beauty and skincare products
- 14% say tech gadgets are a common impulse buy
Social media is driving impulse spending
- 56% say social media has influenced them to make an impulse purchase
- 17% say social media frequently influences them
- 87% of young people (16-34-year-olds) have bought something on impulse because of social media
- 35% of 16-24s say social media has influenced to impulsively buy something regularly
Is impulse spending making us feel worse?
- 61% say they regret their impulse purchases at least occasionally
- 19% say regret happens often or always
- Younger consumers are the most regretful – 76% of 16-24s are at least occasionally regretful after making an impulsive purchase
- 23% of Brits have hidden impulse purchases more than once from friends and family
- 60% of Gen Z admit to hiding their spending from friends or family, with 33% doing so on multiple occasions
What our findings show
Our study reveals that while occasional small purchases may seem harmless, regular impulsive spending can significantly impact your finances.
Nearly £1,000 a year is being spent on things that weren’t planned for, often food, snacks or fast fashion. And, what’s worse, it’s leaving many feeling regretful and even ashamed enough to hide their spending from friends and family.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by impulsive spending and would like advice on how to curb your spending, support is available through a range of government-backed services and charities, such as Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper.
Our methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Vanquis, with 2,000 adults in the UK in June 2025.