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UK retail footfall declined in November as shoppers waited for Black Friday deals: Poor weather and subdued confidence also weighed on traffic, souring retailers鈥� holiday prospects.

Social commerce is gaining momentum in the UK鈥攚ith sales set to double by 2028鈥攁s major brands join TikTok and as more people shop on social platforms.

UK retail sales grew 3.2% YoY in December: Even with a late surge, sales rose just 0.7% YoY in 2024.

The UK is a world leader in mobile commerce. How can brands and retailers succeed in a competitive market?

The retailer continues to expand its physical footprint, making it a convenient option for more shoppers. Our take: Lidl faces no shortage of competition from rivals such as Asda and Morrisons, which are using price cuts and price matches to try to grab share. However, grocery habits are tough to break, and Lidl鈥檚 strategic efforts in recent years have positioned it well to sustain its momentum.

Tom Holland鈥檚 Bero brand is now in 1,400 Target stores: The nonalcoholic beer aims to chart a course similar to the success of celebrity-driven spirits brands.

Ecommerce sales have returned to modest growth in Western Europe as the economic outlook brightens and more people embrace the convenience of shopping via mobile phone.

UK budget spells trouble for retailers, warns Currys: The electronics chain says tax hikes will push costs onto consumers and limit its ability to hire more workers.

TikTok Shop gears up for busy holiday season in the US, UK: The platform expects hefty ecommerce and ad growth this year as shoppers get used to transacting on the app

The point-of-sale installment offering will face adoption hurdles given growing competition in the country

Primark expects its US and European expansion to contribute roughly 4% to sales growth in fiscal 2025. Next is banking on a 14% increase in overseas online sales in the 12 months to next January鈥攃ompared with just a 1.4% rise in UK full-price sales.

The UK is still playing catch-up with China and the US on social shopping. Meta has been slow to introduce commerce functionality on its platforms in the UK; brands are cautious about investing in social; and consumers are turned off by fears of fraud. But the channel is gaining momentum fast:. Major brands are now selling on TikTok Shop.

Roughly 7 in 10 US retailers (68%) said that ecommerce theft and fraud were a bigger concern in 2024 than the year prior, per an NRF report. 1 in 4 higher-income shoppers reported engaging in some kind of first-party fraud during the holiday season鈥攕uch as disputing legitimate credit card charges or falsely claiming packages were stolen鈥攃ompared with just 11% of low-income consumers, according to a survey

Go further: Read how Wayfair and other housing-related retailers performed in our Retail & Ecommerce Earnings Q3 2024 report. This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.