Adobe Analytics’ findings reveal that BNPL comprised of 12% of online purchases in January this year, indicating that shoppers are becoming more price-conscious in the wake of the cost of living crisis. The average order value of BNPL purchases has also increased as shoppers are opting to pay for higher value products over a longer period.

UK consumers spent £8 billion in January 2023, 1.4% less than in the same month last year and 26.7% less than in December 2022.

Vice president and managing director of Adobe in the UK, Suzanne Steele, commented: “Taking into account the increased pressure on consumer spending power this year compared with 2022, a year-on-year drop of just 1.4% in January online spending shows that the post-Christmas sales period still holds great importance for retailers and shoppers alike. While last week’s suggestion by the Bank of England that inflation may have peaked is good news in the mid- to long-term, the increased use of BNPL services to spread the cost of January purchases, shows that consumers are still keeping a close eye on their finances in the short term.”

The data shows that the popularity of mobile shopping has risen from previous years, with 59.7% of shopping taking place via mobile and consumers spending £4.7 billion on their phones this January. Click and collect has also become more popular, the average of click and collect purchases per month in previous years was 6%, this January it was 8.2%, implying that consumers want to save on delivery fees.