Oli Yeates · 12 October 2026

The UK experience economy in 2026: why Brits are choosing experiences over things

Brits are cutting big-ticket buys but still spending on holidays, gigs and wellness. The research behind the 2026 experience economy, and what it means for brands.

The UK experience economy in 2026: why Brits are choosing experiences over things

UK consumers are cautious in 2026, yet they are still spending on holidays, gigs and wellness. The money is simply moving: away from big-ticket things and towards memorable moments.

On paper, this should be a tough year for discretionary spend. Over half of Brits (54%) are concerned about the rising cost of living, and KPMG found only 13% expect their discretionary spending to rise this year. Yet holidays are booked, festivals sell out and spa days fill up.

The explanation is not that people have more money. It is that they are choosing to spend it differently, and the experience economy is one of the clearest consumer trends of 2026.

The evidence: experiences now outspend discretionary retail

In 2025, UK spending on experiences overtook discretionary retail for the first time in Mastercard's data, and every major 2026 study points the same way.

Experiences have overtaken discretionary retailShare of UK consumer spending. Experiences exclude travel.22.3%Experiences, 202423.3%Experiences, 202522.7%Discretionary retail, 2025Source: Mastercard Economics Institute.
FindingSource
88% of UK adults would redirect spending from discretionary items to lived experiences; 71% say experiences matter more to them than everMastercard survey of 2,000 UK adults, via STV
41% plan to treat themselves with holidays, festivals, concerts and wellness, while 27% are putting off big purchases such as a car or renovationNationwide, Jan 2026
31% plan to cut back on eating out, 26% on fashion, and 24% will buy more second-handNationwide, Jan 2026
42% planned no big-ticket spending in Q1 2026, but 25% planned to spend towards a holidayKPMG UK Consumer Pulse
The UK experience economy is worth an estimated £134bn and is forecast to grow 2.6% a year to 2027, faster than the wider economyBarclays and CEBR

Search behaviour tells the same story. In Semrush's UK data, searches for city breaks and spa breaks dwarf those for a new car or a kitchen renovation.

What Brits are searching forAverage monthly UK Google searches.Experience termsBig-ticket termscity breaks74,000spa breaks49,500sauna49,500spa day33,100weekend breaks22,200new car5,400kitchen renovation5,400Source: Semrush, UK database, October 2026.

Why it is happening

Four forces explain the shift, and none of them is going away soon.

Affordable luxury. A weekend away or a gig costs far less than a new car or a kitchen. Nationwide frames it as people swapping bigger purchases for manageable luxuries, balancing enjoyment with caution.

Stress and the need for escape. Euromonitor reports that 58% of consumers experience moderate to extreme stress every day. Experiences offer a break from it in a way a new gadget rarely does.

Wellbeing as a priority. In Nationwide's research, 36% say a healthier lifestyle is shaping their spending, and 12% are prioritising gyms, spa treatments and therapy. In Semrush's UK data, "sauna" now draws 49,500 searches a month and "cold plunge" 4,400.

Nostalgia and shared moments. Half of Brits want more nostalgia-based experiences this year, a trend Mastercard links to the Oasis reunion tour. Shared cultural moments, from that tour to England's World Cup run, give people something to be part of.

What it means for brands

You do not need to sell holidays to benefit. Any brand can sell the moment, not just the product.

  1. Sell the outcome, not the object. Frame products around the occasion they make possible: the dinner party, the weekend away, the first run in new trainers.
  2. Bundle in an experience. Launch events, workshops, tastings and members' evenings give cautious buyers a reason to choose you over a cheaper alternative.
  3. Plan around cultural moments. Tours, festivals and major sporting events create predictable spikes in attention. Build campaigns into the calendar early, as booking windows are moving forward.
  4. Make wellbeing part of the story. Where it is genuine, link your product to rest, health or time well spent.
  5. Go where the demand is cheap. Experience-led search terms can offer high volume at a lower cost to reach than big-ticket categories, which makes them a strong fit for paid media campaigns.
Experience searches are cheaper to reachAverage cost per click in UK Google search.Experience termsBig-ticket termsspa breaks£0.61city breaks£0.62new car£1.37kitchen renovation£4.74Source: Semrush, UK database, October 2026.
  1. Remember the caution. People are treating themselves, but carefully. Clear pricing, flexible booking and visible value will beat hard-sell urgency.

The bottom line

British consumers have not stopped spending; they have changed what they spend on. Brands that position themselves as part of a memorable moment, rather than another thing to own, will win a bigger share of a cautious wallet.

Want to know how much experience-led demand exists in your category, and what it costs to reach? Clicky combines AI-powered search and audience data with specialist human strategy to find it. Get in touch to talk to the team.

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