New transaction data from Checkout.com shows that January 2026 unfolded as a month of two distinct halves for UK retail, with spending initially subdued before rising sharply at the end of the month as consumers waited for paydays and deeper discounts.
After a typically quiet New Year’s Day, spending picked up quickly. On January 2, transaction volumes were 28 per cent higher than the daily average for the month, pointing to early engagement with seasonal sales. Transaction volumes dipped through the second and third weeks of January, reaching their lowest point on January 17, when spending dropped to 11 per cent below the daily average.
Activity then accelerated significantly in the final week of the month. The peak came on Friday, January 30, when transaction volumes were 89 per cent above the daily average and 102 per cent higher than the mid-month low. This late-month surge exceeded even December’s most prominent trading days, including the final Friday before Christmas, which was 38 per cent above its period average, underscoring how strongly spending is now clustered around paydays and clearance events.
Comparisons with the holiday period further illustrate this shift in timing. While January 2 recorded a healthy uplift, it remained more muted than the immediate post-Christmas rebound, when spending on Boxing Day rose 43 per cent compared to Christmas Day. This points to a change in urgency, with January shoppers showing greater willingness to wait until later in the month before spending.
Rory O’Neill, CMO at Checkout.com, said: “January’s spending patterns show just how deliberate consumers have become about when they choose to spend, with activity increasingly concentrated around paydays and the deepest discount periods rather than spread evenly across the month.
“That timing pressure is accelerating the shift towards more automated ways to shop. Our research shows nearly one in five people (19 per cent) already use AI to help them find discount codes and deals, and almost half (48 per cent) would feel comfortable letting an AI agent make a purchase on their behalf, underlining how quickly shoppers are moving from using AI for support to trusting it to transact.
“As agentic commerce develops, the role of payments is to make sure every transaction, whether triggered directly by a shopper or by an agent acting on their behalf, is fast, reliable and secure.”
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