Revealed: The most generous cities in the UK

With Christmas soon approaching, it appears that Christmas spending might be lower than usual as a result of the ongoing cost of living crisis. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that all consumers will be foregoing Christmas presents this year. Many will still flock to stores and browse online catalogues for the latest deals and discounts for the upcoming festive season.

Christmas: A time for giving

Christmas is a fruitful time for brands, offering ample opportunities to engage with consumers, build loyal customer relationships, and generate sales. Christmas sales in the UK continue to grow, with an estimated £84.9 billion sales for 2023 – a 3.3% forecasted increase since the previous year.

As a result, Clear Channel UK’s report provides detailed insights into which cities in the UK consist of generous consumers that brands could potentially target. So, which cities seem to be especially giving this year?

1. Liverpool 60%
2. Southampton 59%
3. Nottingham 58%
4. Leeds 55%
5. Bristol 55%
6. City of Edinburgh 53%
7. Brighton and Hove 51%
8. Leicester 51%
9. Newcastle upon Tyne 50%
10. Greater London 50%
11. Glasgow 48%
12. Birmingham 48%
13. Sheffield 46%
14. Cardiff 45%
15. Greater Manchester 41%

By utilising the findings of this report to tailor their own Christmas advertising campaigns, brands can expect to reap better results in terms of localised ads that are targeting the most valuable type of audience during Christmas time: the generous consumer.

The most popular gifts in each city

The report also discovered the most purchased Christmas gifts in each of the 15 cities outlined above. This included:

1. Liverpool – clothing (42%), food and drink (36%), toiletries/cosmetics (31%)
2. Southampton – clothing (46%), gift vouchers/cards (36%), toiletries/cosmetics (31%)
3. Nottingham – books (35%), toys (34%), clothing (29%)
4. Leeds – clothing (24%), books (22%), food and drink (19%)
5. Bristol – clothing (35%), toys (28%), books (23%)
6. City of Edinburgh – clothing (34%), food and drink (33%), toys (32%)
7. Brighton and Hove – clothing (37%), food and drink (34%), toiletries/cosmetics (26%)
8. Leicester – clothing (27%), toys (18%), food and drink (19%)
9. Newcastle upon Tyne – clothing (44%), toiletries/cosmetics (37%), toys (30%)
10. Greater London – clothing (29%), vouchers/cards (21%), food and drink (20%)
11. Glasgow – clothing (32%), food and drink (25%), toiletries/cosmetics (24%)
12. Birmingham – clothing (28%), food and drink (24%), vouchers/cards (23%)
13. Sheffield – clothing (26%), vouchers/cards (22%), books (21%)
14. Cardiff – clothing (40%), toiletries/cosmetics (37%), food and drink (37%)
15. Greater Manchester – clothing (34%), food and drink (27%), toys (27%)

What it means to be giving

There appears to be no preference for location when it comes to gift-giving, with the top 5 spots claimed by cities from the North West, South East, Midlands, North East, and South West. The most generous cities are not only in England, however. Scotland claims a spot in the top 10 , and even Wales with its capital, Cardiff, just makes it on the list at 14.

This indicates that there is certainly some potential for nation-wide Christmas advertising campaigns, targeting consumers in these areas. For brands who are interested in an audience base that’ll surely be encouraged to purchase their products this Christmas, Clear Channel’s findings offer excellent insights into the cities where generous consumers reside and what their most favoured gifts are.