Virgin Media O2 Business has published its second full-year Movers Index, revealing a 7 per cent fall in weekend high street and shopping centre visits last year. However, Brits are on a mission to save local shops in 2025, as two-thirds (65 per cent) have ambitions to support their local high street.
The quarterly Movers Index is based on combining anonymised and aggregated UK movement data from O2 Motion with national polling findings to reveal key behavioural trends. The combined data paints an accurate picture of movement patterns and the trends influencing them.
Brits look to reclaim pre-pandemic culture
2024 saw a further shift in hybrid working policies, with 88 per cent of workers subject to compulsory office attendance. As a result, over three-quarters (76 per cent) of employees began commuting at least three days per week and a notable 39 per cent made a full-time office return, commuting five days per week. Surprisingly, policies are being met with a largely positive response. Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of those surveyed feel positive about mandatory office attendance policies.
As the new year kicks off, over half (52 per cent) of workers plan to commute more than four times a week, with 73 per cent expecting to commute at least three times a week. Key motivators include company incentives like time off after intense periods of work (28 per cent) and free drinks (26 per cent), alongside a collective desire to recapture the benefits of pre-pandemic work culture (50 per cent). Despite these motivations, mobile data showed commute trips into major towns fell by 7 per cent across the year; 2025 will demonstrate whether company mandates and perks are enough to boost this.
It’s time to step up support for local businesses
Despite a strong start to 2024, with two-thirds (65 per cent) of Brits saying supporting their local high street was important to them, the year painted a tougher picture for many retailers. Store closures surged by 28 per cent, with six in ten (63 per cent) Brits expressing worries about further closures. Compounding this, over half of retailers (53 per cent) reported a noticeable decline in shoppers spending time in-store, with reduced spending noted by 40 per cent.
Despite shoppers claiming to be willing to pay an extra 23 per cent more to support local businesses, nearly one in four (23 per cent) admit to shopping less frequently on their local high street last year. This is reflected in the numbers of weekend trips to high street and shopping centre areas which fell by 5 per cent and 9 per cent respectively from 2023 to 2024. From April to December, trips were lower in 2024 than 2023 with the largest falls in the summer months and a 4 per cent fall in December.
However, January and March exhibited footfall growth, meaning retailers could look hopefully towards March 2025 for a similar rebound.
Tech is key to a good shopping experience
The Movers Index reveals technology has become indispensable for budget-conscious shoppers, with 77 per cent of Brits using it to enhance their in-person shopping experience, like checking online prices and finding deals; one in 10 (11 per cent) do so every time they shop. Shoppers emphasise the importance of being able to compare prices online (42 per cent) and name good WiFi (22 per cent) and strong mobile connectivity (21 per cent) as two of the top three features attracting them to shop in-store.
With 34 per cent of Brits aiming to cut down overspending on non-essential items and 33 per cent reducing impulse buying, every penny counts for retailers. Technology-related frustrations, like self-checkout glitches, have consequences for retailers, with 38 per cent of shoppers leaving or avoiding returning to stores due to complicated or frustrating tech in 2024. This rises to over half (51 per cent) for Gen Z.
Craig Bunting, Co-Founder of BEAR, comments, “As the owner of eight high-street coffee shops, my co-founder and I are focused on using technology to better connect with our guests, both in-store and online. We create welcoming spaces with free WiFi, supplied by Virgin Media O2 Business, to support those who work or relax in our stores. We’re transparent about data exchange, ensuring guests know their information is used solely to enhance their experience. These insights help us deliver tailored, valuable communications, while our guests’ respectful use of our spaces—especially during peak times—creates a harmonious relationship that strengthens our connection with the communities we serve and all who visit us.”
Diego Tedesco, Director of Commercial, Product and Marketing at Virgin Media O2 Business, adds: “Our full-year Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index shows a disconnect between shoppers’ intentions and actions. Despite ambitions from many to shop locally, budgets remained tight and high street visits saw a sharp decline as a third (37 per cent) shopped more online.
“To meet budget-conscious shoppers where they are, it will be increasingly important for retailers to tap into the benefits technology can bring to stores. Offering a great in-store experience, with high-speed WiFi like coffee shop company, BEAR, or smooth online check-out experiences, will be essential to the high street’s revival in 2025.”
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