Platform payments provider says last year’s surge in travel and ticketing signals a major shift towards experience-led spending this November
20 November 2025, London – Wallet-first infrastructure provider Mangopay predicts that experiences will be one of the standout growth areas of Black Friday 2025, as new analysis of more than 113 million transactions from last year’s sales period shows UK shoppers increasingly funnelling their spend into travel, days out and live entertainment.
Mangopay saw a 26% increase in total Black Friday transactions year-on-year in 2024, reflecting wider growth in UK shopper activity during the period. While fashion remained steady, travel bookings jumped 23% and ticketing rose 6% during the Black Friday window compared to the week before – early indicators, Mangopay says, of a decisive pivot towards experience-led spending that is set to intensify this November.
That momentum continued well beyond Cyber Monday. Ticketing purchases jumped a further 18% compared with Black Friday Week itself, signalling a longer, more fluid peak period where consumers make planned, higher-value bookings over several days – not just during the traditional four-day window. Mangopay says platforms that prepare for this shift, with infrastructure that can accommodate surges in payment flows, will be best positioned to capture the growth.
“Experiences were the quiet winners of Black Friday last year, and all the signals point to an even bigger shift this year” says Alex Taylor, Managing Director, Mangopay. “UK shoppers are using Black Friday to secure the trips, events and leisure moments they value most. This year, we expect experiences to be one of the standout growth categories.”
