Gen Z shoppers plan to spend 37 per cent of their Christmas budget in the Black Friday sales, against 22 per cent for UK shoppers overall, according to research for eBay Advertising UK.
Censuswide surveyed 2,001 UK adults who celebrate Christmas between 15 and 19 June 2026.
Gifts and categories
- 48 per cent of shoppers are likely to buy Christmas gifts in this year’s Black Friday sales, rising to 73 per cent of Gen Z.
- 42 per cent of Gen Z say they mainly use Black Friday to treat themselves, against 25 per cent of all shoppers.
- Fashion is the most planned category, with 43 per cent of shoppers expecting to buy it, followed by consumer electronics (35 per cent) and beauty and grooming (34 per cent). Among Gen Z, 56 per cent plan to buy fashion.
Channels
A third (33 per cent) of Gen Z plan to do most of their Black Friday shopping through online marketplaces (18 per cent) or retailer apps (15 per cent), compared with 23 per cent of shoppers overall. Only 15 per cent of Gen Z plan to shop mostly in physical stores.
Sponsored or promoted placements that appear higher in search results are important to 59 per cent of Gen Z when buying gifts on marketplaces, against 40 per cent of all shoppers. Video content is important to 56 per cent of Gen Z, against 43 per cent overall.
Listing basics still matter across all ages: 92 per cent of shoppers say a relevant title and description is important, and 97 per cent say clear product images are essential.
Black Friday falls on 27 November this year.
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